Systems and methods for oilfield drilling operations using computer vision

ABSTRACT

Computer vision drilling systems and methods may be used with a drilling rig. The computer vision systems and methods may be used during drilling of a well to monitor the drilling equipment and personnel on the drilling site to provide safer drilling operations. The results from the computer vision drilling system may be used to cause corrective actions to be performed if a safety condition arises. In addition, computer vision systems and methods are provided to automatically monitor the drilling site and drilling operations, such as by tallying pipe in the drill string and by monitoring equipment for anomalous drilling conditions, and automatically taking corrective action as may be needed.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/660,250, filed Oct. 22, 2019, entitled SYSTEMSAND METHODS FOR OILFIELD DRILLING OPERATIONS USING COMPUTER VISION,which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.62/748,996, filed on Oct. 22, 2018, and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODSFOR OILFIELD DRILLING OPERATIONS USING COMPUTER VISION,” both of whichare incorporated by their entireties for all purposes.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

This application is directed to systems and methods for oilfieldoperations using computer vision, and more particularly, to themanagement and safe operation of oil drilling equipment and tocontrolling drilling of oil gas wells. The systems and methods can becomputer-implemented using processor executable instructions forexecution on a processor and can accordingly be executed with aprogrammed computer system.

Description of the Related Art

Drilling a borehole for the extraction of minerals has become anincreasingly complicated operation due to the increased depth andcomplexity of many boreholes, including the complexity added bydirectional drilling. Drilling is an expensive operation and errors indrilling add to the cost and, in some cases, drilling errors maypermanently lower the output of a well for years into the future. Manysystems exist for improving some aspects of drilling operations,including through enhanced management of various aspects of drillingoperations, such as is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/314,697, entitled “System and Method for Surface Steerable Drilling”(patented as U.S. Pat. No. 9,494,030), U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/196,242, entitled “System and Method for Detection of Slide andRotation Modes” (published as US 2016/0305230 A1), U.S. ProvisionalApplication 62/619,242, entitled “System and Method for ManagingDrilling Mud and Additives”, and U.S. Provisional Application62/689,631, entitled “System and Method for Well Drilling Control Basedon Borehole Cleaning,” all of which are incorporated by reference forall purposes as if fully set forth herein.

Drilling is also a complex operation involving heavy equipment operatingin close proximity to drilling personnel, and can therefore also be adangerous operation if not planned and performed for safety. Drillingpersonnel not only operate equipment remotely, but often manuallyperform operations, such as removing drilling slips, orscrewing/unscrewing various components and pipes from the drill string.Example drilling procedures and personnel are described in, for example,U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,283, entitled “System and Method for SurfaceSteerable Drilling,” which is incorporated by reference for all purposesas if fully set forth herein. Current technologies and methods do notadequately address the complicated nature of drilling. Accordingly, whatis needed are systems and methods to improve supervision and control ofdrilling operations and improve drilling rig safety.

Computer vision, or video analytics, is one such technology that mayhave promise for drilling operations and drilling safety. Examples ofsuch technologies include those described in U.S. Published PatentApplication 2016/0130889 A1, entitled “System and method for locating,measuring, counting, and aiding in the handling of drill pipes,” U.S.Pat. No. 9,908,148, entitled “System and method for measuring fluidfront position on shale shakers,” U.S. Published Application2016/0134843 A1, entitled “System and method for inhibiting or causingautomated actions based on persons locations estimated from multiplevideo sources,” and U.S. Published Patent Application 2016/0130917 A1,entitled “System and method for estimating rig state using computervision for time and motion studies,” all of which are incorporated byreference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. Additionalimprovements to drilling operations are described in this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and itsfeatures and advantages, reference is now made to the followingdescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a depiction of a drilling system for drilling a borehole;

FIG. 2 is a depiction of a drilling environment including the drillingsystem for drilling a borehole;

FIG. 3 is a depiction of a borehole generated in the drillingenvironment;

FIG. 4 is a depiction of a drilling architecture including the drillingenvironment;

FIG. 5 is a depiction of rig control systems included in the drillingsystem;

FIG. 6 is a depiction of algorithm modules used by the rig controlsystems;

FIG. 7 is a depiction of a steering control process used by the rigcontrol systems;

FIG. 8 is a depiction of a graphical user interface provided by the rigcontrol systems;

FIG. 9 is a depiction of a guidance control loop performed by the rigcontrol systems;

FIG. 10 is a depiction of a controller usable by the rig controlsystems;

FIG. 11 depicts a computer system in accordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a method using computer vision tomonitor and correct drilling rig operations as appropriate.

FIG. 13 is a depiction of a computer vision drilling system.

DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENT(S)

Although example embodiments of the present disclosure are explained indetail, it is to be understood that other embodiments are contemplated.Accordingly, it is not intended that the present disclosure be limitedin its scope to the details of construction and arrangement ofcomponents set forth in the following description. The presentdisclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orcarried out in various ways.

Throughout this disclosure, a hyphenated form of a reference numeralrefers to a specific instance of an element and the un-hyphenated formof the reference numeral refers to the element generically orcollectively. Thus, as an example (not shown in the drawings), device“12-1” refers to an instance of a device class, which may be referred tocollectively as devices “12” and any one of which may be referred togenerically as a device “12”. In the figures and the description, likenumerals are intended to represent like elements.

It is noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims,the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise. Moreover, titles or subtitlesmay be used in this specification for the convenience of a reader, whichshall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure.

By “comprising” or “containing” or “including” is meant that at leastthe named compound, element, particle, or method step is present in thecomposition or article or method, but does not exclude the presence ofother compounds, materials, particles, method steps, even if the othersuch compounds, material, particles, method steps have the same functionas what is named.

In describing example embodiments, terminology will be resorted to forthe sake of clarity. It is intended that each term contemplates itsbroadest meaning as understood by those skilled in the art and includesall technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplisha similar purpose.

It is to be understood that the mention of one or more steps of a methoddoes not preclude the presence of additional method steps or interveningmethod steps between those steps expressly identified. Steps of a methodmay be performed in a different order than those described herein.Similarly, it is also to be understood that the mention of one or morecomponents in a device or system does not preclude the presence ofadditional components or intervening components between those componentsexpressly identified.

Drilling a well typically involves a substantial amount of humandecision-making during the drilling process. For example, geologists anddrilling engineers use their knowledge, experience, and the availableinformation to make decisions on how to plan the drilling operation, howto accomplish the drilling plan, and how to handle issues that ariseduring drilling. However, even the best geologists and drillingengineers perform some guesswork due to the unique nature of eachborehole. Furthermore, a directional human driller performing thedrilling may have drilled other boreholes in the same region and so mayhave some similar experience. However, during drilling operations, amultitude of input information and other factors may affect a drillingdecision being made by a human operator or specialist, such that theamount of information may overwhelm the cognitive ability of the humanto properly consider and factor into the drilling decision. Furthermore,the quality or the error involved with the drilling decision may improvewith larger amounts of input data being considered, for example, such asformation data from a large number of offset wells. For these reasons,human specialists may be unable to achieve desirable drilling decisions,particularly when such drilling decisions are made under timeconstraints, such as during drilling operations when continuation ofdrilling is dependent on the drilling decision and, thus, the entiredrilling rig waits idly for the next drilling decision. Furthermore,human decision-making for drilling decisions can result in expensivemistakes, because drilling errors can add significant cost to drillingoperations. In some cases, drilling errors may permanently lower theoutput of a well, resulting in substantial long term economic losses dueto the lost output of the well.

Therefore, the well plan may be updated based on new stratigraphicinformation from the wellbore, as it is being drilled. Thisstratigraphic information can be gained on one hand from measurementwhile drilling (MWD) and logging while drilling (LWD) sensor data, butcould also include other reference well data, such as drilling dynamicsdata or sensor data giving information, for example, on the hardness ofthe rock in individual strata layers being drilled through.

A method for updating the well plan with additional stratigraphic datamay first combine the various parameters into a single characteristicfunction, both for the subject well and every offset well. For everypair of subject well and offset well, a heat map can be computed todisplay the misfit between the characteristic functions of the subjectand offset wells. The heat maps may then enable the identification ofpaths (x(MD), y(MD)), parameterized by the measured depth (MD) along thesubject well. These paths uniquely describe the vertical depth of thesubject well relative to the geology (e.g., formation) at every offsetwell. Alternatively, the characteristic functions of the offset wellscan be combined into a single characteristic function at the location ofthe subject wellbore. This combined characteristic function changesalong the subject well with changes in the stratigraphy. The heat mapmay also be used to identify stratigraphic anomalies, such as structuralfaults, stringers and breccia. The identified paths may be used inupdating the well plan with the latest data to steer the wellbore intothe geological target(s) and keep the wellbore in the target zone.

Referring now to the drawings, Referring to FIG. 1, a drilling system100 is illustrated in one embodiment as a top drive system. As shown,the drilling system 100 includes a derrick 132 on the surface 104 of theearth and is used to drill a borehole 106 into the earth. Typically,drilling system 100 is used at a location corresponding to a geographicformation 102 in the earth that is known.

In FIG. 1, derrick 132 includes a crown block 134 to which a travellingblock 136 is coupled via a drilling line 138. In drilling system 100, atop drive 140 is coupled to travelling block 136 and may providerotational force for drilling. A saver sub 142 may sit between the topdrive 140 and a drill pipe 144 that is part of a drill string 146. Topdrive 140 may rotate drill string 146 via the saver sub 142, which inturn may rotate a drill bit 148 of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) 149 inborehole 106 passing through formation 102. Also visible in drillingsystem 100 is a rotary table 162 that may be fitted with a masterbushing 164 to hold drill string 146 when not rotating.

A mud pump 152 may direct a fluid mixture 153 (e.g., a mud mixture) froma mud pit 154 into drill string 146. Mud pit 154 is shown schematicallyas a container, but it is noted that various receptacles, tanks, pits,or other containers may be used. Mud 153 may flow from mud pump 152 intoa discharge line 156 that is coupled to a rotary hose 158 by a standpipe160. Rotary hose 158 may then be coupled to top drive 140, whichincludes a passage for mud 153 to flow into borehole 106 via drillstring 146 from where mud 153 may emerge at drill bit 148. Mud 153 maylubricate drill bit 148 during drilling and, due to the pressuresupplied by mud pump 152, mud 153 may return via borehole 106 to surface104.

In drilling system 100, drilling equipment (see also FIG. 5) is used toperform the drilling of borehole 106, such as top drive 140 (or rotarydrive equipment) that couples to drill string 146 and BHA 149 and isconfigured to rotate drill string 146 and apply pressure to drill bit148. Drilling system 100 may include control systems such as aWOB/differential pressure control system 522, a positional/rotarycontrol system 524, a fluid circulation control system 526, and a sensorsystem 528, as further described below with respect to FIG. 5. Thecontrol systems may be used to monitor and change drilling rig settings,such as the WOB or differential pressure to alter the ROP or the radialorientation of the toolface, change the flow rate of drilling mud, andperform other operations. Sensor system 528 may be for obtaining sensordata about the drilling operation and drilling system 100, including thedownhole equipment. For example, sensor system 528 may include MWD orlogging while drilling (LWD) tools for acquiring information, such astoolface and formation logging information, that may be saved for laterretrieval, transmitted with or without a delay using any of variouscommunication means (e.g., wireless, wireline, or mud pulse telemetry),or otherwise transferred to steering control system 168. As used herein,an MWD tool is enabled to communicate downhole measurements withoutsubstantial delay to the surface 104, such as using mud pulse telemetry,while a LWD tool is equipped with an internal memory that storesmeasurements when downhole and can be used to download a stored log ofmeasurements when the LWD tool is at the surface 104. The internalmemory in the LWD tool may be a removable memory, such as a universalserial bus (USB) memory device or another removable memory device. It isnoted that certain downhole tools may have both MWD and LWDcapabilities. Such information acquired by sensor system 528 may includeinformation related to hole depth, bit depth, inclination angle, azimuthangle, true vertical depth, gamma count, standpipe pressure, mud flowrate, rotary rotations per minute (RPM), bit speed, ROP, WOB, amongother information. It is noted that all or part of sensor system 528 maybe incorporated into a control system, or in another component of thedrilling equipment. As drilling system 100 can be configured in manydifferent implementations, it is noted that different control systemsand subsystems may be used.

Sensing, detection, measurement, evaluation, storage, alarm, and otherfunctionality may be incorporated into a downhole tool 166 or BHA 149 orelsewhere along drill string 146 to provide downhole surveys of borehole106. Accordingly, downhole tool 166 may be an MWD tool or a LWD tool orboth, and may accordingly utilize connectivity to the surface 104, localstorage, or both. In different implementations, gamma radiation sensors,magnetometers, accelerometers, and other types of sensors may be usedfor the downhole surveys. Although downhole tool 166 is shown insingular in drilling system 100, it is noted that multiple instances(not shown) of downhole tool 166 may be located at one or more locationsalong drill string 146.

In some embodiments, formation detection and evaluation functionalitymay be provided via a steering control system 168 on the surface 104.Steering control system 168 may be located in proximity to derrick 132or may be included with drilling system 100. In other embodiments,steering control system 168 may be remote from the actual location ofborehole 106 (see also FIG. 4). For example, steering control system 168may be a stand-alone system or may be incorporated into other systemsincluded with drilling system 100.

In operation, steering control system 168 may be accessible via acommunication network (see also FIG. 10), and may accordingly receiveformation information via the communication network. In someembodiments, steering control system 168 may use the evaluationfunctionality to provide corrective measures, such as a convergence planto overcome an error in the well trajectory of borehole 106 with respectto a reference, or a planned well trajectory. The convergence plans orother corrective measures may depend on a determination of the welltrajectory, and therefore, may be improved in accuracy using surfacesteering, as disclosed herein.

In particular embodiments, at least a portion of steering control system168 may be located in downhole tool 166 (not shown). In someembodiments, steering control system 168 may communicate with a separatecontroller (not shown) located in downhole tool 166. In particular,steering control system 168 may receive and process measurementsreceived from downhole surveys, and may perform the calculationsdescribed herein for surface steering using the downhole surveys andother information referenced herein.

In drilling system 100, to aid in the drilling process, data iscollected from borehole 106, such as from sensors in BHA 149, downholetool 166, or both. The collected data may include the geologicalcharacteristics of formation 102 in which borehole 106 was formed, theattributes of drilling system 100, including BHA 149, and drillinginformation such as weight-on-bit (WOB), drilling speed, and otherinformation pertinent to the formation of borehole 106. The drillinginformation may be associated with a particular depth or anotheridentifiable marker to index collected data. For example, the collecteddata for borehole 106 may capture drilling information indicating thatdrilling of the well from 1,000 feet to 1,200 feet occurred at a firstrate of penetration (ROP) through a first rock layer with a first WOB,while drilling from 1,200 feet to 1,500 feet occurred at a second ROPthrough a second rock layer with a second WOB (see also FIG. 2). In someapplications, the collected data may be used to virtually recreate thedrilling process that created borehole 106 in formation 102, such as bydisplaying a computer simulation of the drilling process. The accuracywith which the drilling process can be recreated depends on a level ofdetail and accuracy of the collected data, including collected data froma downhole survey of the well trajectory.

The collected data may be stored in a database that is accessible via acommunication network for example. In some embodiments, the databasestoring the collected data for borehole 106 may be located locally atdrilling system 100, at a drilling hub that supports a plurality ofdrilling systems 100 in a region, or at a database server accessibleover the communication network that provides access to the database (seealso FIG. 4). At drilling system 100, the collected data may be storedat the surface 104 or downhole in drill string 146, such as in a memorydevice included with BHA 149 (see also FIG. 10). Alternatively, at leasta portion of the collected data may be stored on a removable storagemedium, such as using steering control system 168 or BHA 149, that islater coupled to the database in order to transfer the collected data tothe database, which may be manually performed at certain intervals, forexample.

In FIG. 1, steering control system 168 is located at or near the surface104 where borehole 106 is being drilled. Steering control system 168 maybe coupled to equipment used in drilling system 100 and may also becoupled to the database, whether the database is physically locatedlocally, regionally, or centrally (see also FIGS. 4 and 5). Accordingly,steering control system 168 may collect and record various inputs, suchas measurement data from a magnetometer and an accelerometer that mayalso be included with BHA 149.

Steering control system 168 may further be used as a surface steerablesystem, along with the database, as described above. The surfacesteerable system may enable an operator to plan and control drillingoperations while drilling is being performed. The surface steerablesystem may itself also be used to perform certain drilling operations,such as controlling certain control systems that, in turn, control theactual equipment in drilling system 100 (see also FIG. 5). The controlof drilling equipment and drilling operations by steering control system168 may be manual, manual-assisted, semi-automatic, or automatic, indifferent embodiments.

Manual control may involve direct control of the drilling rig equipment,albeit with certain safety limits to prevent unsafe or undesired actionsor collisions of different equipment. To enable manual-assisted control,steering control system 168 may present various information, such asusing a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a display device(see FIG. 8), to a human operator, and may provide controls that enablethe human operator to perform a control operation. The informationpresented to the user may include live measurements and feedback fromthe drilling rig and steering control system 168, or the drilling rigitself, and may further include limits and safety-related elements toprevent unwanted actions or equipment states, in response to a manualcontrol command entered by the user using the GUI.

To implement semi-automatic control, steering control system 168 mayitself propose or indicate to the user, such as via the GUI, that acertain control operation, or a sequence of control operations, shouldbe performed at a given time. Then, steering control system 168 mayenable the user to imitate the indicated control operation or sequenceof control operations, such that once manually started, the indicatedcontrol operation or sequence of control operations is automaticallycompleted. The limits and safety features mentioned above for manualcontrol would still apply for semi-automatic control. It is noted thatsteering control system 168 may execute semi-automatic control using asecondary processor, such as an embedded controller that executes undera real-time operating system (RTOS), that is under the control andcommand of steering control system 168. To implement automatic control,the step of manual starting the indicated control operation or sequenceof operations is eliminated, and steering control system 168 may proceedwith only a passive notification to the user of the actions taken.

In order to implement various control operations, steering controlsystem 168 may perform (or may cause to be performed) various inputoperations, processing operations, and output operations. The inputoperations performed by steering control system 168 may result inmeasurements or other input information being made available for use inany subsequent operations, such as processing or output operations. Theinput operations may accordingly provide the input information,including feedback from the drilling process itself, to steering controlsystem 168. The processing operations performed by steering controlsystem 168 may be any processing operation associated with surfacesteering, as disclosed herein. The output operations performed bysteering control system 168 may involve generating output informationfor use by external entities, or for output to a user, such as in theform of updated elements in the GUI, for example. The output informationmay include at least some of the input information, enabling steeringcontrol system 168 to distribute information among various entities andprocessors.

In particular, the operations performed by steering control system 168may include operations such as receiving drilling data representing adrill path, receiving other drilling parameters, calculating a drillingsolution for the drill path based on the received data and otheravailable data (e.g., rig characteristics), implementing the drillingsolution at the drilling rig, monitoring the drilling process to gaugewhether the drilling process is within a defined margin of error of thedrill path, and calculating corrections for the drilling process if thedrilling process is outside of the margin of error.

Accordingly, steering control system 168 may receive input informationeither before drilling, during drilling, or after drilling of borehole106. The input information may comprise measurements from one or moresensors, as well as survey information collected while drilling borehole106. The input information may also include a well plan, a regionalformation history, drilling engineer parameters, downhole toolface/inclination information, downhole tool gamma/resistivityinformation, economic parameters, reliability parameters, among variousother parameters. Some of the input information, such as the regionalformation history, may be available from a drilling hub 410, which mayhave respective access to a regional drilling database (DB) 412 (seeFIG. 4). Other input information may be accessed or uploaded from othersources to steering control system 168. For example, a web interface maybe used to interact directly with steering control system 168 to uploadthe well plan or drilling parameters.

As noted, the input information may be provided to steering controlsystem 168. After processing by steering control system 168, steeringcontrol system 168 may generate control information that may be outputto drilling rig 210 (e.g., to rig controls 520 that control drillingequipment 530, see also FIGS. 2 and 5). Drilling rig 210 may providefeedback information using rig controls 520 to steering control system168. The feedback information may then serve as input information tosteering control system 168, thereby enabling steering control system168 to perform feedback loop control and validation. Accordingly,steering control system 168 may be configured to modify its outputinformation to drilling rig 210, in order to achieve the desiredresults, which are indicated in the feedback information. The outputinformation generated by steering control system 168 may includeindications to modify one or more drilling parameters, the direction ofdrilling, the drilling mode, among others. In certain operational modes,such as semi-automatic or automatic, steering control system 168 maygenerate output information indicative of instructions to rig controls520 to enable automatic drilling using the latest location of BHA 149.Therefore, an improved accuracy in the determination of the location ofBHA 149 may be provided using steering control system 168, along withthe methods and operations for surface steering disclosed herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a drilling environment 200 is depictedschematically and is not drawn to scale or perspective. In particular,drilling environment 200 may illustrate additional details with respectto formation 102 below the surface 104 in drilling system 100 shown inFIG. 1. In FIG. 2, drilling rig 210 may represent various equipmentdiscussed above with respect to drilling system 100 in FIG. 1 that islocated at the surface 104.

In drilling environment 200, it may be assumed that a drilling plan(also referred to as a well plan) has been formulated to drill borehole106 extending into the ground to a true vertical depth (TVD) 266 andpenetrating several subterranean strata layers. Borehole 106 is shown inFIG. 2 extending through strata layers 268-1 and 270-1, whileterminating in strata layer 272-1. Accordingly, as shown, borehole 106does not extend or reach underlying strata layers 274-1 and 276-1. Atarget area 280 specified in the drilling plan may be located in stratalayer 272-1 as shown in FIG. 2. Target area 280 may represent a desiredendpoint of borehole 106, such as a hydrocarbon producing area indicatedby strata layer 272-1. It is noted that target area 280 may be of anyshape and size, and may be defined using various different methods andinformation in different embodiments. In some instances, target area 280may be specified in the drilling plan using subsurface coordinates, orreferences to certain markers, that indicate where borehole 106 is to beterminated. In other instances, target area may be specified in thedrilling plan using a depth range within which borehole 106 is toremain. For example, the depth range may correspond to strata layer272-1. In other examples, target area 280 may extend as far as can berealistically drilled. For example, when borehole 106 is specified tohave a horizontal section with a goal to extend into strata layer 172 asfar as possible, target area 280 may be defined as strata layer 272-1itself and drilling may continue until some other physical limit isreached, such as a property boundary or a physical limitation to thelength of drill string 146.

Also visible in FIG. 2 is a fault line 278 that has resulted in asubterranean discontinuity in the fault structure. Specifically, stratalayers 268, 270, 272, 274, and 276 have portions on either side of faultline 278. On one side of fault line 278, where borehole 106 is located,strata layers 268-1, 270-1, 272-1, 274-1, and 276-1 are unshifted byfault line 278. On the other side of fault line 278, strata layers268-2, 270-3, 272-3, 274-3, and 276-3 are shifted downwards by faultline 278.

Current drilling operations frequently include directional drilling toreach a target, such as target area 280. The use of directional drillinghas been found to generally increase an overall amount of productionvolume per well, but also may lead to significantly higher productionrates per well, which are both economically desirable. As shown in FIG.2, directional drilling may be used to drill the horizontal portion ofborehole 106, which increases an exposed length of borehole 106 withinstrata layer 272-1, and which may accordingly be beneficial forhydrocarbon extraction from strata layer 272-1. Directional drilling mayalso be used alter an angle of borehole 106 to accommodate subterraneanfaults, such as indicated by fault line 278 in FIG. 2. Other benefitsthat may be achieved using directional drilling include sidetracking offof an existing well to reach a different target area or a missed targetarea, drilling around abandoned drilling equipment, drilling intootherwise inaccessible or difficult to reach locations (e.g., underpopulated areas or bodies of water), providing a relief well for anexisting well, and increasing the capacity of a well by branching offand having multiple boreholes extending in different directions or atdifferent vertical positions for the same well. Directional drilling isoften not limited to a straight horizontal borehole 106, but may involvestaying within a strata layer that varies in depth and thickness asillustrated by strata layer 172. As such, directional drilling mayinvolve multiple vertical adjustments that complicate the trajectory ofborehole 106.

Referring now to FIG. 3, one embodiment of a portion of borehole 106 isshown in further detail. Using directional drilling for horizontaldrilling may introduce certain challenges or difficulties that may notbe observed during vertical drilling of borehole 106. For example, ahorizontal portion 318 of borehole 106 may be started from a verticalportion 310. In order to make the transition from vertical tohorizontal, a curve may be defined that specifies a so-called “build up”section 316. Build up section 316 may begin at a kick off point 312 invertical portion 310 and may end at a begin point 314 of horizontalportion 318. The change in inclination angle in build up section 316 permeasured length drilled is referred to herein as a “build rate” and maybe defined in degrees per one hundred feet drilled. For example, thebuild rate may have a value of 6°/100 ft., indicating that there is asix degree change in inclination angle for every one hundred feetdrilled. The build rate for a particular build up section may remainrelatively constant or may vary.

The build rate used for any given build up section may depend on variousfactors, such as properties of the formation (i.e., strata layers)through which borehole 106 is to be drilled, the trajectory of borehole106, the particular pipe and drill collars/BHA components used (e.g.,length, diameter, flexibility, strength, mud motor bend setting, anddrill bit), the mud type and flow rate, the specified horizontaldisplacement, stabilization, and inclination angle, among other factors.An overly aggressive built rate can cause problems such as severedoglegs (e.g., sharp changes in direction in the borehole) that may makeit difficult or impossible to run casing or perform other operations inborehole 106. Depending on the severity of any mistakes made duringdirectional drilling, borehole 106 may be enlarged or drill bit 146 maybe backed out of a portion of borehole 106 and redrilled along adifferent path. Such mistakes may be undesirable due to the additionaltime and expense involved. However, if the built rate is too cautious,additional overall time may be added to the drilling process, becausedirectional drilling generally involves a lower ROP than straightdrilling. Furthermore, directional drilling for a curve is morecomplicated than vertical drilling and the possibility of drillingerrors increases with directional drilling (e.g., overshoot andundershoot that may occur while trying to keep drill bit 148 on theplanned trajectory).

Two modes of drilling, referred to herein as “rotating” and “sliding”,are commonly used to form borehole 106. Rotating, also called “rotarydrilling”, uses top drive 140 or rotary table 162 to rotate drill string146. Rotating may be used when drilling occurs along a straighttrajectory, such as for vertical portion 310 of borehole 106. Sliding,also called “steering” or “directional drilling” as noted above,typically uses a mud motor located downhole at BHA 149. The mud motormay have an adjustable bent housing and is not powered by rotation ofdrill string 146. Instead, the mud motor uses hydraulic power derivedfrom the pressurized drilling mud that circulates along borehole 106 toand from the surface 104 to directionally drill borehole 106 in build upsection 316.

Thus, sliding is used in order to control the direction of the welltrajectory during directional drilling. A method to perform a slide mayinclude the following operations. First, during vertical or straightdrilling, the rotation of drill string 146 is stopped. Based on feedbackfrom measuring equipment, such as from downhole tool 166, adjustmentsmay be made to drill string 146, such as using top drive 140 to applyvarious combinations of torque, WOB, and vibration, among otheradjustments. The adjustments may continue until a tool face is confirmedthat indicates a direction of the bend of the mud motor is oriented to adirection of a desired deviation (i.e., build rate) of borehole 106.Once the desired orientation of the mud motor is attained, WOB to thedrill bit is increased, which causes the drill bit to move in thedesired direction of deviation. Once sufficient distance and angle havebeen built up in the curved trajectory, a transition back to rotatingmode can be accomplished by rotating drill string 146 again. Therotation of drill string 146 after sliding may neutralize thedirectional deviation caused by the bend in the mud motor due to thecontinuous rotation around a centerline of borehole 106.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a drilling architecture 400 is illustrated indiagram form. As shown, drilling architecture 400 depicts a hierarchicalarrangement of drilling hubs 410 and a central command 414, to supportthe operation of a plurality of drilling rigs 210 in different regions402. Specifically, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2,drilling rig 210 includes steering control system 168 that is enabled toperform various drilling control operations locally to drilling rig 210.When steering control system 168 is enabled with network connectivity,certain control operations or processing may be requested or queried bysteering control system 168 from a remote processing resource. As shownin FIG. 4, drilling hubs 410 represent a remote processing resource forsteering control system 168 located at respective regions 402, whilecentral command 414 may represent a remote processing resource for bothdrilling hub 410 and steering control system 168.

Specifically, in a region 401-1, a drilling hub 410-1 may serve as aremote processing resource for drilling rigs 210 located in region401-1, which may vary in number and are not limited to the exemplaryschematic illustration of FIG. 4. Additionally, drilling hub 410-1 mayhave access to a regional drilling DB 412-1, which may be local todrilling hub 410-1. Additionally, in a region 401-2, a drilling hub410-2 may serve as a remote processing resource for drilling rigs 210located in region 401-2, which may vary in number and are not limited tothe exemplary schematic illustration of FIG. 4. Additionally, drillinghub 410-2 may have access to a regional drilling DB 412-2, which may belocal to drilling hub 410-2.

In FIG. 4, respective regions 402 may exhibit the same or similargeological formations. Thus, reference wells, or offset wells, may existin a vicinity of a given drilling rig 210 in region 402, or where a newwell is planned in region 402. Furthermore, multiple drilling rigs 210may be actively drilling concurrently in region 402, and may be indifferent stages of drilling through the depths of formation stratalayers at region 402. Thus, for any given well being drilled by drillingrig 210 in a region 402, survey data from the reference wells or offsetwells may be used to create the well plan, and may be used for surfacesteering, as disclosed herein. In some implementations, survey data orreference data from a plurality of reference wells may be used toimprove drilling performance, such as by reducing an error in estimatingTVD or a position of BHA 149 relative to one or more strata layers, aswill be described in further detail herein. Additionally, survey datafrom recently drilled wells, or wells still currently being drilled,including the same well, may be used for reducing an error in estimatingTVD or a position of BHA 149 relative to one or more strata layers.

Also shown in FIG. 4 is central command 414, which has access to centraldrilling DB 416, and may be located at a centralized command center thatis in communication with drilling hubs 410 and drilling rigs 210 invarious regions 402. The centralized command center may have the abilityto monitor drilling and equipment activity at any one or more drillingrigs 210. In some embodiments, central command 414 and drilling hubs 412may be operated by a commercial operator of drilling rigs 210 as aservice to customers who have hired the commercial operator to drillwells and provide other drilling-related services.

In FIG. 4, it is particularly noted that central drilling DB 416 may bea central repository that is accessible to drilling hubs 410 anddrilling rigs 210. Accordingly, central drilling DB 416 may storeinformation for various drilling rigs 210 in different regions 402. Insome embodiments, central drilling DB 416 may serve as a backup for atleast one regional drilling DB 412, or may otherwise redundantly storeinformation that is also stored on at least one regional drilling DB412. In turn, regional drilling DB 412 may serve as a backup orredundant storage for at least one drilling rig 210 in region 402. Forexample, regional drilling DB 412 may store information collected bysteering control system 168 from drilling rig 210.

In some embodiments, the formulation of a drilling plan for drilling rig210 may include processing and analyzing the collected data in regionaldrilling DB 412 to create a more effective drilling plan. Furthermore,once the drilling has begun, the collected data may be used inconjunction with current data from drilling rig 210 to improve drillingdecisions. As noted, the functionality of steering control system 168may be provided at drilling rig 210, or may be provided, at least inpart, at a remote processing resource, such as drilling hub 410 orcentral command 414.

As noted, steering control system 168 may provide functionality as asurface steerable system for controlling drilling rig 210. Steeringcontrol system 168 may have access to regional drilling DB 412 andcentral drilling DB 416 to provide the surface steerable systemfunctionality. As will be described in greater detail below, steeringcontrol system 168 may be used to plan and control drilling operationsbased on input information, including feedback from the drilling processitself. Steering control system 168 may be used to perform operationssuch as receiving drilling data representing a drill trajectory andother drilling parameters, calculating a drilling solution for the drilltrajectory based on the received data and other available data (e.g.,rig characteristics), implementing the drilling solution at drilling rig210, monitoring the drilling process to gauge whether the drillingprocess is within a margin of error that is defined for the drilltrajectory, or calculating corrections for the drilling process if thedrilling process is outside of the margin of error.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an example of rig control systems 500 isillustrated in schematic form. It is noted that rig control systems 500may include fewer or more elements than shown in FIG. 5 in differentembodiments. As shown, rig control systems 500 includes steering controlsystem 168 and drilling rig 210. Specifically, steering control system168 is shown with logical functionality including an autodriller 510, abit guidance 512, and an autoslide 514. Drilling rig 210 ishierarchically shown including rig controls 520, which provide securecontrol logic and processing capability, along with drilling equipment530, which represents the physical equipment used for drilling atdrilling rig 210. As shown, rig controls 520 include WOB/differentialpressure control system 522, positional/rotary control system 524, fluidcirculation control system 526, and sensor system 528, while drillingequipment 530 includes a draw works/snub 532, top drive 140, a mudpumping 536, and an MWD/wireline 538.

Steering control system 168 represent an instance of a processor havingan accessible memory storing instructions executable by the processor,such as an instance of controller 1000 shown in FIG. 10. Also,WOB/differential pressure control system 522, positional/rotary controlsystem 524, and fluid circulation control system 526 may each representan instance of a processor having an accessible memory storinginstructions executable by the processor, such as an instance ofcontroller 1000 shown in FIG. 10, but for example, in a configuration asa programmable logic controller (PLC) that may not include a userinterface but may be used as an embedded controller. Accordingly, it isnoted that each of the systems included in rig controls 520 may be aseparate controller, such as a PLC, and may autonomously operate, atleast to a degree. Steering control system 168 may represent hardwarethat executes instructions to implement a surface steerable system thatprovides feedback and automation capability to an operator, such as adriller. For example, steering control system 168 may cause autodriller510, bit guidance 512 (also referred to as a bit guidance system (BGS)),and autoslide 514 (among others, not shown) to be activated and executedat an appropriate time during drilling. In particular implementations,steering control system 168 may be enabled to provide a user interfaceduring drilling, such as the user interface 850 depicted and describedbelow with respect to FIG. 8. Accordingly, steering control system 168may interface with rig controls 520 to facilitate manual, assistedmanual, semi-automatic, and automatic operation of drilling equipment530 included in drilling rig 210. It is noted that rig controls 520 mayalso accordingly be enabled for manual or user-controlled operation ofdrilling, and may include certain levels of automation with respect todrilling equipment 530.

In rig control systems 500 of FIG. 5, WOB/differential pressure controlsystem 522 may be interfaced with draw works/snubbing unit 532 tocontrol WOB of drill string 146. Positional/rotary control system 524may be interfaced with top drive 140 to control rotation of drill string146. Fluid circulation control system 526 may be interfaced with mudpumping 536 to control mud flow and may also receive and decode mudtelemetry signals. Sensor system 528 may be interfaced with MWD/wireline538, which may represent various BHA sensors and instrumentationequipment, among other sensors that may be downhole or at the surface.

In rig control systems 500, autodriller 510 may represent an automatedrotary drilling system and may be used for controlling rotary drilling.Accordingly, autodriller 510 may enable automate operation of rigcontrols 520 during rotary drilling, as indicated in the well plan. Bitguidance 512 may represent an automated control system to monitor andcontrol performance and operation drilling bit 148.

In rig control systems 500, autoslide 514 may represent an automatedslide drilling system and may be used for controlling slide drilling.Accordingly, autoslide 514 may enable automate operation of rig controls520 during a slide, and may return control to steering control system168 for rotary drilling at an appropriate time, as indicated in the wellplan. In particular implementations, autoslide 514 may be enabled toprovide a user interface during slide drilling to specifically monitorand control the slide. For example, autoslide 514 may rely on bitguidance 512 for orienting a tool face and on autodriller 510 to set WOBor control rotation or vibration of drill string 146.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of control algorithm modules 600 usedwith steering control system 168. The control algorithm modules 600 ofFIG. 6 include: a slide control executor 650 that is responsible formanaging the execution of the slide control algorithms; a slide controlconfiguration provider 652 that is responsible for validating,maintaining, and providing configuration parameters for the othersoftware modules; a BHA & pipe specification provider 654 that isresponsible for managing and providing details of BHA 149 and drillstring 146 characteristics; a borehole geometry model 656 that isresponsible for keeping track of the borehole geometry and providing arepresentation to other software modules; a top drive orientation impactmodel 658 that is responsible for modeling the impact that changes tothe angular orientation of top drive 140 have had on the tool facecontrol; a top drive oscillator impact model 660 that is responsible formodeling the impact that oscillations of top drive 140 has had on thetool face control; an ROP impact model 662 that is responsible formodeling the effect on the tool face control of a change in ROP or acorresponding ROP set point; a WOB impact model 664 that is responsiblefor modeling the effect on the tool face control of a change in WOB or acorresponding WOB set point; a differential pressure impact model 666that is responsible for modeling the effect on the tool face control ofa change in differential pressure (DP) or a corresponding DP set point;a torque model 668 that is responsible for modeling the comprehensiverepresentation of torque for surface, downhole, break over, and reactivetorque, modeling impact of those torque values on tool face control, anddetermining torque operational thresholds; a tool face control evaluator672 that is responsible for evaluating all factors impacting tool facecontrol and whether adjustments need to be projected, determiningwhether re-alignment off-bottom is indicated, and determining off-bottomtool face operational threshold windows; a tool face projection 670 thatis responsible for projecting tool face behavior for top drive 140, thetop drive oscillator, and auto driller adjustments; a top driveadjustment calculator 674 that is responsible for calculating top driveadjustments resultant to tool face projections; an oscillator adjustmentcalculator 676 that is responsible for calculating oscillatoradjustments resultant to tool face projections; and an autodrilleradjustment calculator 678 that is responsible for calculatingadjustments to autodriller 510 resultant to tool face projections.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a steering control process 700 fordetermining a corrective action for drilling. Steering control process700 may be used for rotary drilling or slide drilling in differentembodiments.

Steering control process 700 in FIG. 7 illustrates a variety of inputsthat can be used to determine an optimum corrective action. As shown inFIG. 7, the inputs include formation hardness/unconfined compressivestrength (UCS) 710, formation structure 712, inclination/azimuth 714,current zone 716, measured depth 718, desired tool face 730, verticalsection 720, bit factor 722, mud motor torque 724, reference trajectory730, vertical section 720, bit factor 722, torque 724 and angularvelocity 726. In FIG. 7, reference trajectory 730 of borehole 106 isdetermined to calculate a trajectory misfit in a step 732. Step 732 mayoutput the trajectory misfit to determine a corrective action tominimize the misfit at step 734, which may be performed using the otherinputs described above. Then, at step 736, the drilling rig is caused toperform the corrective action.

It is noted that in some implementations, at least certain portions ofsteering control process 700 may be automated or performed without userintervention, such as using rig control systems 700 (see FIG. 7). Inother implementations, the corrective action in step 736 may be providedor communicated (by display, SMS message, email, or otherwise) to one ormore human operators, who may then take appropriate action. The humanoperators may be members of a rig crew, which may be located at or neardrilling rig 210, or may be located remotely from drilling rig 210.

Referring to FIG. 8, one embodiment of a user interface 850 that may begenerated by steering control system 168 for monitoring and operation bya human operator is illustrated. User interface 850 may provide manydifferent types of information in an easily accessible format. Forexample, user interface 850 may be shown on a computer monitor, atelevision, a viewing screen (e.g., a display device) associated withsteering control system 168.

As shown in FIG. 8, user interface 850 provides visual indicators suchas a hole depth indicator 852, a bit depth indicator 854, a GAMMAindicator 856, an inclination indicator 858, an azimuth indicator 860,and a TVD indicator 862. Other indicators may also be provided,including a ROP indicator 864, a mechanical specific energy (MSE)indicator 866, a differential pressure indicator 868, a standpipepressure indicator 870, a flow rate indicator 872, a rotary RPM (angularvelocity) indicator 874, a bit speed indicator 876, and a WOB indicator878.

In FIG. 8, at least some of indicators 864, 866, 868, 870, 872, 874,876, and 878 may include a marker representing a target value. Forexample, markers may be set as certain given values, but it is notedthat any desired target value may be used. Although not shown, in someembodiments, multiple markers may be present on a single indicator. Themarkers may vary in color or size. For example, ROP indicator 864 mayinclude a marker 865 indicating that the target value is 50 feet/hour(or 15 m/h). MSE indicator 866 may include a marker 867 indicating thatthe target value is 37 ksi (or 255 MPa). Differential pressure indicator868 may include a marker 869 indicating that the target value is 200 psi(or 1.38 kPa). ROP indicator 864 may include a marker 865 indicatingthat the target value is 50 feet/hour (or 15 m/h). Standpipe pressureindicator 870 may have no marker in the present example. Flow rateindicator 872 may include a marker 873 indicating that the target valueis 500 gpm (or 31.5 L/s). Rotary RPM indicator 874 may include a marker875 indicating that the target value is 0 RPM (e.g., due to sliding).Bit speed indicator 876 may include a marker 877 indicating that thetarget value is 150 RPM. WOB indicator 878 may include a marker 879indicating that the target value is 10 klbs (or 4,500 kg). Eachindicator may also include a colored band, or another marking, toindicate, for example, whether the respective gauge value is within asafe range (e.g., indicated by a green color), within a caution range(e.g., indicated by a yellow color), or within a danger range (e.g.,indicated by a red color).

In FIG. 8, a log chart 880 may visually indicate depth versus one ormore measurements (e.g., may represent log inputs relative to aprogressing depth chart). For example, log chart 880 may have a Y-axisrepresenting depth and an X-axis representing a measurement such asGAMMA count 881 (as shown), ROP 883 (e.g., empirical ROP and normalizedROP), or resistivity. An autopilot button 882 and an oscillate button884 may be used to control activity. For example, autopilot button 882may be used to engage or disengage autodriller 510, while oscillatebutton 884 may be used to directly control oscillation of drill string146 or to engage/disengage an external hardware device or controller.

In FIG. 8, a circular chart 886 may provide current and historical toolface orientation information (e.g., which way the bend is pointed). Forpurposes of illustration, circular chart 886 represents three hundredand sixty degrees. A series of circles within circular chart 886 mayrepresent a timeline of tool face orientations, with the sizes of thecircles indicating the temporal position of each circle. For example,larger circles may be more recent than smaller circles, so a largestcircle 888 may be the newest reading and a smallest circle 889 may bethe oldest reading. In other embodiments, circles 889, 888 may representthe energy or progress made via size, color, shape, a number within acircle, etc. For example, a size of a particular circle may represent anaccumulation of orientation and progress for the period of timerepresented by the circle. In other embodiments, concentric circlesrepresenting time (e.g., with the outside of circular chart 886 beingthe most recent time and the center point being the oldest time) may beused to indicate the energy or progress (e.g., via color or patterningsuch as dashes or dots rather than a solid line).

In user interface 850, circular chart 886 may also be color coded, withthe color coding existing in a band 890 around circular chart 886 orpositioned or represented in other ways. The color coding may use colorsto indicate activity in a certain direction. For example, the color redmay indicate the highest level of activity, while the color blue mayindicate the lowest level of activity. Furthermore, the arc range indegrees of a color may indicate the amount of deviation. Accordingly, arelatively narrow (e.g., thirty degrees) arc of red with a relativelybroad (e.g., three hundred degrees) arc of blue may indicate that mostactivity is occurring in a particular tool face orientation with littledeviation. As shown in user interface 850, the color blue may extendfrom approximately 22-337 degrees, the color green may extend fromapproximately 15-22 degrees and 337-345 degrees, the color yellow mayextend a few degrees around the 13 and 345 degree marks, while the colorred may extend from approximately 347-10 degrees. Transition colors orshades may be used with, for example, the color orange marking thetransition between red and yellow or a light blue marking the transitionbetween blue and green. This color coding may enable user interface 850to provide an intuitive summary of how narrow the standard deviation isand how much of the energy intensity is being expended in the properdirection. Furthermore, the center of energy may be viewed relative tothe target. For example, user interface 850 may clearly show that thetarget is at 90 degrees but the center of energy is at 45 degrees.

In user interface 850, other indicators, such as a slide indicator 892,may indicate how much time remains until a slide occurs or how much timeremains for a current slide. For example, slide indicator 892 mayrepresent a time, a percentage (e.g., as shown, a current slide may be56% complete), a distance completed, or a distance remaining. Slideindicator 892 may graphically display information using, for example, acolored bar 893 that increases or decreases with slide progress. In someembodiments, slide indicator 892 may be built into circular chart 886(e.g., around the outer edge with an increasing/decreasing band), whilein other embodiments slide indicator 892 may be a separate indicatorsuch as a meter, a bar, a gauge, or another indicator type. In variousimplementations, slide indicator 892 may be refreshed by autoslide 514.

In user interface 850, an error indicator 894 may indicate a magnitudeand a direction of error. For example, error indicator 894 may indicatethat an estimated drill bit position is a certain distance from theplanned trajectory, with a location of error indicator 894 around thecircular chart 886 representing the heading. For example, FIG. 8illustrates an error magnitude of 15 feet and an error direction of 15degrees. Error indicator 894 may be any color but may be red forpurposes of example. It is noted that error indicator 894 may present azero if there is no error. Error indicator may represent that drill bit148 is on the planned trajectory using other means, such as being agreen color. Transition colors, such as yellow, may be used to indicatevarying amounts of error. In some embodiments, error indicator 894 maynot appear unless there is an error in magnitude or direction. A marker896 may indicate an ideal slide direction. Although not shown, otherindicators may be present, such as a bit life indicator to indicate anestimated lifetime for the current bit based on a value such as time ordistance.

It is noted that user interface 850 may be arranged in many differentways. For example, colors may be used to indicate normal operation,warnings, and problems. In such cases, the numerical indicators maydisplay numbers in one color (e.g., green) for normal operation, may useanother color (e.g., yellow) for warnings, and may use yet another color(e.g., red) when a serious problem occurs. The indicators may also flashor otherwise indicate an alert.

The gauge indicators may include colors (e.g., green, yellow, and red)to indicate operational conditions and may also indicate the targetvalue (e.g., an ROP of 100 feet/hour). For example, ROP indicator 868may have a green bar to indicate a normal level of operation (e.g., from10-300 feet/hour), a yellow bar to indicate a warning level of operation(e.g., from 300-360 feet/hour), and a red bar to indicate a dangerous orotherwise out of parameter level of operation (e.g., from 360-390feet/hour). ROP indicator 868 may also display a marker at 100 feet/hourto indicate the desired target ROP.

Furthermore, the use of numeric indicators, gauges, and similar visualdisplay indicators may be varied based on factors such as theinformation to be conveyed and the personal preference of the viewer.Accordingly, user interface 850 may provide a customizable view ofvarious drilling processes and information for a particular individualinvolved in the drilling process. For example, steering control system168 may enable a user to customize the user interface 850 as desired,although certain features (e.g., standpipe pressure) may be locked toprevent a user from intentionally or accidentally removing importantdrilling information from user interface 850. Other features andattributes of user interface 850 may be set by user preference.Accordingly, the level of customization and the information shown by theuser interface 850 may be controlled based on who is viewing userinterface 850 and their role in the drilling process.

Referring to FIG. 9, one embodiment of a guidance control loop (GCL) 900is shown in further detail GCL 900 may represent one example of acontrol loop or control algorithm executed under the control of steeringcontrol system 168. GCL 900 may include various functional modules,including a build rate predictor 902, a geo modified well planner 904, aborehole estimator 906, a slide estimator 908, an error vectorcalculator 910, a geological drift estimator 912, a slide planner 914, aconvergence planner 916, and a tactical solution planner 918. In thefollowing description of GCL 900, the term “external input” refers toinput received from outside GCL 900, while “internal input” refers toinput exchanged between functional modules of GCL 900.

In FIG. 9, build rate predictor 902 receives external input representingBHA information and geological information, receives internal input fromthe borehole estimator 906, and provides output to geo modified wellplanner 904, slide estimator 908, slide planner 914, and convergenceplanner 916. Build rate predictor 902 is configured to use the BHAinformation and geological information to predict drilling build ratesof current and future sections of borehole 106. For example, build ratepredictor 902 may determine how aggressively a curve will be built for agiven formation with BHA 149 and other equipment parameters.

In FIG. 9, build rate predictor 902 may use the orientation of BHA 149to the formation to determine an angle of attack for formationtransitions and build rates within a single layer of a formation. Forexample, if a strata layer of rock is below a strata layer of sand, aformation transition exists between the strata layer of sand and thestrata layer of rock. Approaching the strata layer of rock at a 90degree angle may provide a good tool face and a clean drill entry, whileapproaching the rock layer at a 45 degree angle may build a curverelatively quickly. An angle of approach that is near parallel may causedrill bit 148 to skip off the upper surface of the strata layer of rock.Accordingly, build rate predictor 902 may calculate BHA orientation toaccount for formation transitions. Within a single strata layer, buildrate predictor 902 may use the BHA orientation to account for internallayer characteristics (e.g., grain) to determine build rates fordifferent parts of a strata layer. The BHA information may include bitcharacteristics, mud motor bend setting, stabilization and mud motor bitto bend distance. The geological information may include formation datasuch as compressive strength, thicknesses, and depths for formationsencountered in the specific drilling location. Such information mayenable a calculation-based prediction of the build rates and ROP thatmay be compared to both results obtained while drilling borehole 106 andregional historical results (e.g., from the regional drilling DB 412) toimprove the accuracy of predictions as drilling progresses. Build ratepredictor 902 may also be used to plan convergence adjustments andconfirm in advance of drilling that targets can be achieved with currentparameters.

In FIG. 9, geo modified well planner 904 receives external inputrepresenting a well plan, internal input from build rate predictor 902and geo drift estimator 912, and provides output to slide planner 914and error vector calculator 910. Geo modified well planner 904 uses theinput to determine whether there is a more desirable trajectory thanthat provided by the well plan, while staying within specified errorlimits. More specifically, geo modified well planner 904 takesgeological information (e.g., drift) and calculates whether anothertrajectory solution to the target may be more efficient in terms of costor reliability. The outputs of geo modified well planner 904 to slideplanner 914 and error vector calculator 910 may be used to calculate anerror vector based on the current vector to the newly calculatedtrajectory and to modify slide predictions. In some embodiments, geomodified well planner 904 (or another module) may provide functionalityneeded to track a formation trend. For example, in horizontal wells, ageologist may provide steering control system 168 with a targetinclination angle as a set point for steering control system 168 tocontrol. For example, the geologist may enter a target to steeringcontrol system 168 of 90.5-91.0 degrees of inclination angle for asection of borehole 106. Geo modified well planner 904 may then treatthe target as a vector target, while remaining within the error limitsof the original well plan. In some embodiments, geo modified wellplanner 904 may be an optional module that is not used unless the wellplan is to be modified. For example, if the well plan is marked insteering control system 168 as non-modifiable, geo modified well planner904 may be bypassed altogether or geo modified well planner 904 may beconfigured to pass the well plan through without any changes.

In FIG. 9, borehole estimator 906 may receive external inputsrepresenting BHA information, measured depth information, surveyinformation (e.g., azimuth angle and inclination angle), and may provideoutputs to build rate predictor 902, error vector calculator 910, andconvergence planner 916. Borehole estimator 906 may be configured toprovide an estimate of the actual borehole and drill bit position andtrajectory angle without delay, based on either straight lineprojections or projections that incorporate sliding. Borehole estimator906 may be used to compensate for a sensor being physically located somedistance behind drill bit 148 (e.g., 50 feet) in drill string 146, whichmakes sensor readings lag the actual bit location by 50 feet. Boreholeestimator 906 may also be used to compensate for sensor measurementsthat may not be continuous (e.g., a sensor measurement may occur every100 feet). Borehole estimator 906 may provide the most accurate estimatefrom the surface to the last survey location based on the collection ofsurvey measurements. Also, borehole estimator 906 may take the slideestimate from slide estimator 908 (described below) and extend the slideestimate from the last survey point to a current location of drill bit148. Using the combination of these two estimates, borehole estimator906 may provide steering control system 168 with an estimate of thedrill bit's location and trajectory angle from which guidance andsteering solutions can be derived. An additional metric that can bederived from the borehole estimate is the effective build rate that isachieved throughout the drilling process.

In FIG. 9, slide estimator 908 receives external inputs representingmeasured depth and differential pressure information, receives internalinput from build rate predictor 902, and provides output to boreholeestimator 906 and geo modified well planner 904. Slide estimator 908 maybe configured to sample tool face orientation, differential pressure,measured depth (MD) incremental movement, MSE, and other sensor feedbackto quantify/estimate a deviation vector and progress while sliding.

Traditionally, deviation from the slide would be predicted by a humanoperator based on experience. The operator would, for example, use along slide cycle to assess what likely was accomplished during the lastslide. However, the results are generally not confirmed until thedownhole survey sensor point passes the slide portion of the borehole,often resulting in a response lag defined by a distance of the sensorpoint from the drill bit tip (e.g., approximately 50 feet). Such aresponse lag may introduce inefficiencies in the slide cycles due toover/under correction of the actual trajectory relative to the plannedtrajectory.

In GCL 900, using slide estimator 908, each tool face update may bealgorithmically merged with the average differential pressure of theperiod between the previous and current tool face readings, as well asthe MD change during this period to predict the direction, angulardeviation, and MD progress during the period. As an example, theperiodic rate may be between 10 and 60 seconds per cycle depending onthe tool face update rate of downhole tool 166. With a more accurateestimation of the slide effectiveness, the sliding efficiency can beimproved. The output of slide estimator 908 may accordingly beperiodically provided to borehole estimator 906 for accumulation of welldeviation information, as well to geo modified well planner 904. Some orall of the output of the slide estimator 908 may be output to anoperator, such as shown in the user interface 850 of FIG. 8.

In FIG. 9, error vector calculator 910 may receive internal input fromgeo modified well planner 904 and borehole estimator 906. Error vectorcalculator 910 may be configured to compare the planned well trajectoryto an actual borehole trajectory and drill bit position estimate. Errorvector calculator 910 may provide the metrics used to determine theerror (e.g., how far off) the current drill bit position and trajectoryare from the well plan. For example, error vector calculator 910 maycalculate the error between the current bit position and trajectory tothe planned trajectory and the desired bit position. Error vectorcalculator 910 may also calculate a projected bit position/projectedtrajectory representing the future result of a current error.

In FIG. 9, geological drift estimator 912 receives external inputrepresenting geological information and provides outputs to geo modifiedwell planner 904, slide planner 914, and tactical solution planner 918.During drilling, drift may occur as the particular characteristics ofthe formation affect the drilling direction. More specifically, theremay be a trajectory bias that is contributed by the formation as afunction of ROP and BHA 149. Geological drift estimator 912 isconfigured to provide a drift estimate as a vector that can then be usedto calculate drift compensation parameters that can be used to offsetthe drift in a control solution.

In FIG. 9, slide planner 914 receives internal input from build ratepredictor 902, geo modified well planner 904, error vector calculator910, and geological drift estimator 912, and provides output toconvergence planner 916 as well as an estimated time to the next slide.Slide planner 914 may be configured to evaluate a slide/drill ahead costcalculation and plan for sliding activity, which may include factoringin BHA wear, expected build rates of current and expected formations,and the well plan trajectory. During drill ahead, slide planner 914 mayattempt to forecast an estimated time of the next slide to aid withplanning. For example, if additional lubricants (e.g., fluorinatedbeads) are indicated for the next slide, and pumping the lubricants intodrill string 146 has a lead time of 30 minutes before the slide, theestimated time of the next slide may be calculated and then used toschedule when to start pumping the lubricants. Functionality for a losscirculation material (LCM) planner may be provided as part of slideplanner 914 or elsewhere (e.g., as a stand-alone module or as part ofanother module described herein). The LCM planner functionality may beconfigured to determine whether additives should be pumped into theborehole based on indications such as flow-in versus flow-backmeasurements. For example, if drilling through a porous rock formation,fluid being pumped into the borehole may get lost in the rock formation.To address this issue, the LCM planner may control pumping LCM into theborehole to clog up the holes in the porous rock surrounding theborehole to establish a more closed-loop control system for the fluid.

In FIG. 9, slide planner 914 may also look at the current positionrelative to the next connection. A connection may happen every 90 to 100feet (or some other distance or distance range based on the particularsof the drilling operation) and slide planner 914 may avoid planning aslide when close to a connection or when the slide would carry throughthe connection. For example, if the slide planner 914 is planning a 50foot slide but only 20 feet remain until the next connection, slideplanner 914 may calculate the slide starting after the next connectionand make any changes to the slide parameters to accommodate waiting toslide until after the next connection. Such flexible implementationavoids inefficiencies that may be caused by starting the slide, stoppingfor the connection, and then having to reorient the tool face beforefinishing the slide. During slides, slide planner 914 may provide somefeedback as to the progress of achieving the desired goal of the currentslide. In some embodiments, slide planner 914 may account for reactivetorque in drill string 146. More specifically, when rotating isoccurring, there is a reactional torque wind up in drill string 146.When the rotating is stopped, drill string 146 unwinds, which changestool face orientation and other parameters. When rotating is startedagain, drill string 146 starts to wind back up. Slide planner 914 mayaccount for the reactional torque so that tool face references aremaintained, rather than stopping rotation and then trying to adjust to adesired tool face orientation. While not all downhole tools may providetool face orientation when rotating, using one that does supply suchinformation for GCL 900 may significantly reduce the transition timefrom rotating to sliding.

In FIG. 9, convergence planner 916 receives internal inputs from buildrate predictor 902, borehole estimator 906, and slide planner 914, andprovides output to tactical solution planner 918. Convergence planner916 is configured to provide a convergence plan when the current drillbit position is not within a defined margin of error of the planned welltrajectory. The convergence plan represents a path from the currentdrill bit position to an achievable and desired convergence target pointalong the planned trajectory. The convergence plan may take account theamount of sliding/drilling ahead that has been planned to take place byslide planner 914. Convergence planner 916 may also use BHA orientationinformation for angle of attack calculations when determiningconvergence plans as described above with respect to build ratepredictor 902. The solution provided by convergence planner 916 definesa new trajectory solution for the current position of drill bit 148. Thesolution may be immediate without delay, or planned for implementationat a future time that is specified in advance.

In FIG. 9, tactical solution planner 918 receives internal inputs fromgeological drift estimator 912 and convergence planner 916, and providesexternal outputs representing information such as tool face orientation,differential pressure, and mud flow rate. Tactical solution planner 918is configured to take the trajectory solution provided by convergenceplanner 916 and translate the solution into control parameters that canbe used to control drilling rig 210. For example, tactical solutionplanner 918 may convert the solution into settings for control systems522, 524, and 526 to accomplish the actual drilling based on thesolution. Tactical solution planner 918 may also perform performanceoptimization to optimizing the overall drilling operation as well asoptimizing the drilling itself (e.g., how to drill faster).

Other functionality may be provided by GCL 900 in additional modules oradded to an existing module. For example, there is a relationshipbetween the rotational position of the drill pipe on the surface and theorientation of the downhole tool face. Accordingly, GCL 900 may receiveinformation corresponding to the rotational position of the drill pipeon the surface. GCL 900 may use this surface positional information tocalculate current and desired tool face orientations. These calculationsmay then be used to define control parameters for adjusting the topdrive 140 to accomplish adjustments to the downhole tool face in orderto steer the trajectory of borehole 106.

For purposes of example, an object-oriented software approach may beutilized to provide a class-based structure that may be used with GCL900 or other functionality provided by steering control system 168. InGCL 900, a drilling model class may be defined to capture and define thedrilling state throughout the drilling process. The drilling model classmay include information obtained without delay. The drilling model classmay be based on the following components and sub-models: a drill bitmodel, a borehole model, a rig surface gear model, a mud pump model, aWOB/differential pressure model, a positional/rotary model, an MSEmodel, an active well plan, and control limits. The drilling model classmay produce a control output solution and may be executed via a mainprocessing loop that rotates through the various modules of GCL 900. Thedrill bit model may represent the current position and state of drillbit 148. The drill bit model may include a three dimensional (3D)position, a drill bit trajectory, BHA information, bit speed, and toolface (e.g., orientation information). The 3D position may be specifiedin north-south (NS), east-west (EW), and true vertical depth (TVD). Thedrill bit trajectory may be specified as an inclination angle and anazimuth angle. The BHA information may be a set of dimensions definingthe active BHA. The borehole model may represent the current path andsize of the active borehole. The borehole model may include hole depthinformation, an array of survey points collected along the boreholepath, a gamma log, and borehole diameters. The hole depth information isfor current drilling of borehole 106. The borehole diameters mayrepresent the diameters of borehole 106 as drilled over currentdrilling. The rig surface gear model may represent pipe length, blockheight, and other models, such as the mud pump model, WOB/differentialpressure model, positional/rotary model, and MSE model. The mud pumpmodel represents mud pump equipment and includes flow rate, standpipepressure, and differential pressure. The WOB/differential pressure modelrepresents draw works or other WOB/differential pressure controls andparameters, including WOB. The positional/rotary model represents topdrive or other positional/rotary controls and parameters includingrotary RPM and spindle position. The active well plan represents thetarget borehole path and may include an external well plan and amodified well plan. The control limits represent defined parameters thatmay be set as maximums and/or minimums. For example, control limits maybe set for the rotary RPM in the top drive model to limit the maximumRPMs to the defined level. The control output solution may represent thecontrol parameters for drilling rig 210.

Each functional module of GCL 900 may have behavior encapsulated withina respective class definition. During a processing window, theindividual functional modules may have an exclusive portion in time toexecute and update the drilling model. For purposes of example, theprocessing order for the functional modules may be in the sequence ofgeo modified well planner 904, build rate predictor 902, slide estimator908, borehole estimator 906, error vector calculator 910, slide planner914, convergence planner 916, geological drift estimator 912, andtactical solution planner 918. It is noted that other sequences may beused in different implementations.

In FIG. 9, GCL 900 may rely on a programmable timer module that providesa timing mechanism to provide timer event signals to drive the mainprocessing loop. While steering control system 168 may rely on timer anddate calls driven by the programming environment, timing may be obtainedfrom other sources than system time. In situations where it may beadvantageous to manipulate the clock (e.g., for evaluation and testing),a programmable timer module may be used to alter the system time. Forexample, the programmable timer module may enable a default time set tothe system time and a time scale of 1.0, may enable the system time ofsteering control system 168 to be manually set, may enable the timescale relative to the system time to be modified, or may enable periodicevent time requests scaled to a requested time scale.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a block diagram illustrating selected elementsof an embodiment of a controller 1000 for performing surface steeringaccording to the present disclosure. In various embodiments, controller1000 may represent an implementation of steering control system 168. Inother embodiments, at least certain portions of controller 1000 may beused for control systems 510, 512, 514, 522, 524, and 526 (see FIG. 5).

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 10, controller 1000 includesprocessor 1001 coupled via shared bus 1002 to storage media collectivelyidentified as memory media 1010.

Controller 1000, as depicted in FIG. 10, further includes networkadapter 1020 that interfaces controller 1000 to a network (not shown inFIG. 10). In embodiments suitable for use with user interfaces,controller 1000, as depicted in FIG. 10, may include peripheral adapter1006, which provides connectivity for the use of input device 1008 andoutput device 1009. Input device 1008 may represent a device for userinput, such as a keyboard or a mouse, or even a video camera. Outputdevice 1009 may represent a device for providing signals or indicationsto a user, such as loudspeakers for generating audio signals.

Controller 1000 is shown in FIG. 10 including display adapter 1004 andfurther includes a display device 1005. Display adapter 1004 mayinterface shared bus 1002, or another bus, with an output port for oneor more display devices, such as display device 1005. Display device1005 may be implemented as a liquid crystal display screen, a computermonitor, a television or the like. Display device 1005 may comply with adisplay standard for the corresponding type of display. Standards forcomputer monitors include analog standards such as video graphics array(VGA), extended graphics array (XGA), etc., or digital standards such asdigital visual interface (DVI), definition multimedia interface (HDMI),among others. A television display may comply with standards such asNTSC (National Television System Committee), PAL (Phase AlternatingLine), or another suitable standard. Display device 1005 may include anoutput device 1009, such as one or more integrated speakers to playaudio content, or may include an input device 1008, such as a microphoneor video camera.

In FIG. 10, memory media 1010 encompasses persistent and volatile media,fixed and removable media, and magnetic and semiconductor media. Memorymedia 1010 is operable to store instructions, data, or both. Memorymedia 1010 as shown includes sets or sequences of instructions 1024-2,namely, an operating system 1012 and surface steering control 1014.Operating system 1012 may be a UNIX or UNIX-like operating system, aWindows® family operating system, or another suitable operating system.Instructions 1024 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within processor 1001 during execution thereof. It is further noted thatprocessor 1001 may be configured to receive instructions 1024-1 frominstructions 1024-2 via shared bus 1002. In some embodiments, memorymedia 1010 is configured to store and provide executable instructionsfor executing GCL 900, as mentioned previously, among other methods andoperations disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, a system in accordance with the present disclosureincludes one or more cameras positioned in a manner to observe thelocation and/or operation of oil drilling equipment and/or personnel. Insome embodiments, cameras in accordance with the present disclosure caninclude grayscale, color, RGB, or other visible light cameras. Some orall of the cameras used may be digital or analog or a combination. Insome embodiments, it may be useful to retrofit a drilling rig with oneor more analog cameras with a computer vision drilling system asdescribed herein. In embodiments using analog cameras, the analog videosignal can be converted into a digital format prior to use byembodiments of the system using a digital system such as a computersystem described herein. In some embodiments, one or more cameras inaccordance with the present disclosure can include cameras capable ofobserving light outside the visible spectrum, such as infrared,near-infrared, or ultraviolet cameras. In some embodiments, one or morecameras in accordance with the present disclosure can include camerasthat are capable of recording distance or ranging information, such astime-of-flight cameras or LIDAR sensors. Such one or more time-of-flightor LIDAR sensors or cameras can be used to provide accurate distance,size, shape, dimensions, and other important physical information abouta person or thing. In some embodiments, the cameras can comprise arraysof cameras, wide-angle, 360 degree cameras, or other such imagecapturing devices. The one or more cameras may be video cameras, or maybe cameras taking still images, or a combination thereof. In someembodiments, by including many cameras, aspects of the presentdisclosure can be resilient against individual camera failures byswitching to use as input another camera that has not failed. In someembodiments, interpretative processing can be used to fill gaps in imagedata caused by transmission dropout, blind spots, or other occlusions tomonitor aspects of the drilling rig that are temporarily or permanentlynot visible to the camera system. The computer vision system may includeone or more cameras coupled to one or more computer systems, which inturn may be coupled to memory having computer program instructionsstored therein, a database, and the computer systems may also be coupleto one or more drilling rig systems or control systems for the drillingrig equipment and systems.

In some embodiments, one or more cameras may be connected to a computersystem, such as a processing system 1100, that may be located on or nearthe drilling rig, at a remote location (e.g., cloud-based), orcombinations thereof for processing the data obtained by the one or morecameras in accordance with the present disclosure. For example, in someembodiments, a computer system on the drilling rig (or incorporated intothe camera), can perform a filtering function, sending onlyhigh-interest frames (that is, frames containing useful information) onto a central computing system on the rig or at a remote location fordetailed analysis. In some embodiments, this can include dropping framesthat are substantially similar to previous frames, applying an objectdetection model, or performing other analysis with low false negativerates (even if there are high false positives). Advantages of such anarchitecture include reducing network bandwidth to transmit image dataand reducing processing load on centralized processing systems.

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is shown an embodiment of processingsystem 1100 for implementing systems and methods for oilfield operationsusing computer vision, as disclosed herein. In FIG. 11, processingsystem 1100 has one or more central processing units (processors)1101-1, 1101-2, 1101-2, among others and collectively or genericallyreferred to as processor(s) 1101. Such processors can also comprisearrays of relatively simple processing devices, graphics processingunits (GPU's), or other specialized hardware that provides benefits toprocessing image data. Processors 1101, also referred to as processingcircuits, are coupled to system memory 1114 and various other componentsvia a system bus 1113. Read only memory (ROM) 1102 is coupled to systembus 1113 and may include a basic input/output system (BIOS, not shown),which may control certain basic functions of processing system 1100.system memory 1114 can include a ROM 1102 and a random access memory(RAM) 1110, which may be read-write memory accessible via system bus1113 by processors 1101.

FIG. 11 further depicts an input/output (I/O) adapter 1107 and a networkadapter 1106 coupled to the system bus 1113 in processing system 1100.I/O adapter 1107 may be a small computer system interface (SCSI) adapterthat communicates with a hard disk (magnetic, solid state, or other kindof hard disk) 1103 and/or tape storage drive 1105 or any other similarcomponent. I/O adapter 1107, hard disk 1103, and tape storage drive 1105are collectively referred to herein as mass storage 1104. Drilling rigcomputer vision system 1120 may represent executable code in the form ofinstructions for execution by processing system 1100 and may be storedin mass storage 1104, and may include specific applications for computervision. Mass storage 1104 is an example of a tangible storage mediumreadable by \ processors 1101, where drilling rig computer vision 1120is stored as instructions for execution by the processors 101 to performvarious methods for oilfield operations using computer vision, such asdescribed in further detail below. Network adapter 1106 interconnectssystem bus 1113 with an outside network 1116 enabling processing system1100 to communicate with computer systems and networks (not shown). Adisplay 1115 is connected to system bus 1113 by display adapter 1112,which may include a graphics controller to improve the performance ofgraphics intensive applications and a video controller. In oneembodiment, I/O adapters 107, communications adapter 106, and displayadapter 1112 may be connected to one or more I/O buses that areconnected to system bus 1113 via an intermediate bus bridge (not shown).Suitable I/O buses for connecting peripheral devices such as hard diskcontrollers, network adapters, and graphics adapters typically includecommon protocols, such as the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI).Additional input/output devices are shown as connected to system bus1113 via user interface adapter 1108 and display adapter 1112. Akeyboard 1109, mouse 1140, and speaker 1111 can be interconnected tosystem bus 1113 via user interface adapter 1108, which may include, forexample, a super I/O chip integrating multiple device adapters into asingle integrated circuit.

Thus, as configured in FIG. 11, processing system 1100 includesprocessing capability in the form of processors 1101, and, storagecapability including system memory 1114 and mass storage 1104, inputmeans such as a keyboard 1117, mouse 1140, or touch sensor 1109(including touch sensors 1109 incorporated into displays 1115), andoutput capability including speaker 1111 and display 1115. In oneembodiment, a portion of system memory 1114 and mass storage 1104collectively store an operating system (not shown) to coordinate thefunctions of the various components shown in FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, one or more cameras can be used to observe thedrilling rig floor. In some embodiments, one or more cameras can observethe positioning and/or operation of equipment or personnel. In someembodiments, one or more cameras can be oriented to observe the drillbit, bottom hole assembly, pipes, tools, and other equipment connectedto the drill string and placed down a borehole. In some embodiments,these cameras can identify the type of equipment affixed to the drillstring, such as a bottom hole assembly, its stabilizers,measuring-while-drilling (MWD), mud motors, and other types ofequipment. In some embodiments, the computer vision drilling system mayalso include one or more cameras that can be oriented to monitor thedrill site or portions of the drill site, as well as other drillingequipment, such as mud tanks, mud pumps, shakers, maintenance equipment,and the like.

In some embodiments, the system can identify each piece of equipmentattached to the drill string and record the identity of the equipmentand/or order that each was connected to the drill string in memory. Forexample, aspects of the present disclosure can be used to perform a“pipe tally” function by identifying tubular equipment (pipes, BHA,etc.) attached to the drill string prior to insertion into the borehole.The one or more cameras can be oriented to capture images of theequipment while hanging from the drawworks. Once the images arecaptured, object detection, edge detection, and other techniques can beused to isolate the portion of the image containing the equipment. Insome embodiments, the captured images of the equipment can be comparedto a database of images of tubular equipment to identify images thatmatch the captured images. In addition, the features and theirdimensions of equipment like the drill bit and/or the BHA may beautomatically determined and stored, then used later during drilling topredict drilling performance by the bit and/or BHA, such as based ondrilling parameters during drilling operations. In addition, it may bepossible to include one or more cameras downhole, such as in the BHA,and to transmit such downhole images to the surface while drilling.

In some embodiments, artificial neural networks (ANN) models can be usedto identify the tubular equipment, where the ANN is trained using thedatabase of images of tubular equipment to correctly identify theequipment from the picture. Examples of ANN architectures to performthis feature can include convolutional neural networks, residualnetworks, and other similar architectures. The equipment detection ANNcan be applied to a portion of the captured image containing the tubularequipment, or to the image as a whole.

In some embodiments, measurements can be taken of the tubular equipmentby the computer vision system. This feature can be accomplished byapplying edge detection or other object detection techniques to locaterelevant features of the tubular equipment, measuring the distance inthe image between relevant features, and then converting that imagedistance to a real-world distance (e.g. through stereo vision to measuredistance to the object, by a known distance from the camera to theobject, or other similar techniques). Non-limiting examples of featurescapable of being measured by embodiments include external diameter,length, length of threading between tubular equipment, threadpitch/kind, etc. Other measurements may be relevant for certain types oftubular equipment, such as number of stabilizers, length of certainsubsections of the tubular equipment, etc. In some embodiments, themeasurements can be compared to a database of known measurements ofoilfield equipment to identify the oilfield equipment going into theborehole.

In some embodiments, the sequence of tools can be compared to a desiredor allowed list of equipment to verify that the correct tools have beenplaced downhole to confirm correct drilling operations, or to detectthat an incompatible or undesired arrangement or configuration ofequipment is being placed into the borehole, causing an alert or analarm. In some embodiments, the camera system can detect and identifyparticular measurements of equipment connected to the borehole, such asthe bend angle and/or scribe line of a directional drilling bottom holeassembly (BHA), or the diameter or dimensions of equipment features,such as the number of blades on a drill bit, the size, angles, andpositions of stabilizers on a BHA, and the like. In some embodiments,the sequence of tools can be recorded to provide a “pipe tally”indicating the type, quantity, and order that tubular equipment wasattached to, and run down a borehole. This pipe tally can be recorded ina database and/or transmitted to offsite locations.

In some embodiments, the camera system can detect and measure the totallength of the drill string by identifying the lengths of pipe attachedto the drill string, and adding each length to a cumulative total depthmeasurement. In some embodiments, this total depth measurement can becombined with other total depth measurements and associated well logdata to confirm or improve the accuracy of depth measurements. Such apipe tally database can be coupled to a bit guidance or rig controlsystem, and can be used during drilling to provide a more precise andaccurate measured depth and location of the bottom hole assembly anddrill bit. In addition, the pipe tally database information can beadjusted for the effects of other parameters, such as temperature,weight on bit, and the like to provide more accurate information aboutmeasured depth, the location of the bit and/or the location of thebottom hole assembly (including one or more sensors located in thebottom hole assembly).

In some embodiments, the camera system can identify the scribe line ofthe BHA (which indicates the direction that the BHA will cause theborehole to change direction), and can monitor the direction of thescribe line based on the rotation of the remainder of the drill string.BHAs used in surface-steerable drilling typically have a bend angle. Theside of the BHA in the direction of the bend (“scribe line”) is animportant direction to monitor, as other equipment attached to the BHA,such as MWD components, mud motors, etc., must be aligned with the highside of the BHA. Conventionally, this is done by manually marking theBHA with a grease pen or other marker, and manually aligning eachsequential piece of equipment. In some embodiments, computer vision canbe utilized to assist in this process.

For example, when the BHA is attached to the drill string, it is bent ata predetermined angle to enable directional drilling. The camera systemcan take images of the BHA and perform feature detection to identify thedirection of the bend by, for example, rotating the BHA until the cameradetects a maximum bend angle (indicating that the scribe line isperpendicular to the direction the image is taken), and then using thatangular position to automatically calibrate the location of the scribeline with other rig equipment, such as the top drive. Embodiments canthen monitor the rotation of the drill string and thereby monitor theangular location of the scribe line, and vice versa. Where rotationaldata is directly available (such as with a rotary table or top drivewith a rotation encoder) the location of the scribe line can bemonitored by recording the direction of the scribe line relative to theencoder angle (e.g. 90 degrees from the direction the image was taken inthe direction of maximum bend). Where such data is not available,rotational data can be monitored by the camera system by takingsequential images of a feature of the drilling rig that is (1)continuously visible, (2) has an identifiable rotational position, and(3) rotates with the drill string. This could be, for example, afiducial pattern marked on a rotary table or top drive, or merelytracking some preexisting feature, such as bolt locations or otherfeatures, on such drives or other equipment. Once the scribe line istracked, the camera can assist in the connection of other elements tothe BHA, such as MWD components, mud motors, and other devices that mustbe aligned with the BHA. By using a camera system to monitor therotation of the drill string, subsequent components of the drill stringcan be attached, and rotated to correctly align them with the BHA. Insome embodiments, a visual indication, such as a projected image, laser,or augmented reality object, can be provided to an operator to indicatethe location of the scribe line to assist in aligning such additionalequipment. In addition, the computer vision drilling system may be usedto automatically scan and determine the dimensions of the drill bit,BHA, and other drilling equipment, which can be stored in memory andused to generate a 3D model of such equipment. Such a model can be usedduring drilling operations to more accurately predict the behavior andperformance of such equipment during drilling.

In some embodiments, the camera system can also observe and measure thequality and/or integrity of the individual pipes and the connectionstherebetween. For example, the one or more cameras can observe one ormore of the pipes as they rotate, and identify characteristicscorrelated with a fatigue or potential failure condition, such as thepresence of cracks or warping/bending in the pipe. Additionally, thecamera system can identify the joints between the pipes, and ensure thateach pipe is fully screwed into and seated against each subsequent pipe.If a potentially dangerous condition is detected, such as a defectivepipe or defective pipe connection, an alert or alarm can be triggered.For example, an image can be analyzed to determine the boundaries ofcertain known features to identify portions of the image correspondingto specific features of the equipment. Once a feature is identified, itsattributes, such as reflectivity, surface texture, presence or absenceof edges within it, etc., can be compared to expected attributes toidentify damage. For example, if the tubular equipment is a 90 ft standof drill pipe, the system can expect that the pipes will only have acertain number of edges, such as the top and bottom of the stand, theleft and right side of the pipe (relative to the image), and the twojoints between the 30 ft lengths. Additional edges detected are likelycracks or other forms of damage in the drill pipe that should beidentified. Because the tubular equipment is attached to equipmentallowing it to be rotated (e.g. a top drive 136), the tubular equipmentcan be rotated to enable images to be taken of multiple sides of theequipment to automatically detect potential damage. In the event thatany such damage is detected, an alert can be raised to an operator towarn them of the damage. In another example, a drill bit attached to thedrill string can be analyzed for damage by measuring surface features(as above), as well as other measurements, such as angles on the teethof the bit or other visible features to monitor drill bit wear. In someembodiments, hard banding or other types of sacrificial wear materialcan be present on tubular equipment. Aspects of the present disclosurecan also monitor the wear of such banding or other materials determineif such wear is within an acceptable range therefor, and provide analert if the wear exceeds an acceptable value therefor.

In some embodiments, computer vision can be used to ensure that pipesare operating as intended, or are properly cleaned, such as using themethods described in U.S. Provisional Application 62/689,631, entitled“System and Method for Well Drilling Control Based on BoreholeCleaning,” to ensure proper borehole cleaning. For example, an infraredcamera can be positioned to view drill pipes prior to their insertioninto the borehole. When the pipe is connected to the drill string, andwarm drilling mud is pumped through the pipe, the camera can detectvariations in thermal transfer into the pipe. That is, places that arethicker due to buildup of drilling residue or other occlusions will warmmore slowly, and can be detected by the camera as a cooler region in thepipe. The same system can also be used to detect variations in pipethickness as a result of damage to the interior surface of the drillpipe, caused by, for example, cavitation or occlusion (e.g. cement notcleared out properly and sticking to the inside of the drill pipe). Eventhough such damage would not ordinarily be visible from outside thepipe, the infrared camera can detect warmer regions of the pipe causedby thinner wall thicknesses in damaged regions.

In some embodiments, the one or more cameras in accordance with thepresent disclosure can observe auxiliary drilling equipment, such as mudshakers, mud storage tanks, and other equipment. In some embodiments,the one or more cameras can observe the mud shakers, and be used todetermine the viscosity of the mud returning out of the borehole. Forexample, the one or more cameras can observe the mud as it passes acrossthe mud shakers, and by observing the speed with which the fluid and/orsolids move across the shaker, can determine the viscosity of thedrilling mud. For example, the one or more cameras can identify arelevant feature in the mud returning out of the borehole, such as aspecific identifiable cutting, and monitor its velocity across theshaker table. Such a velocity is a function of the shaker speed, screenangle, and viscosity. Where the other attributes are known, viscositycan be determined from that velocity. Viscosity can also be monitoredfrom other features visible to the camera system, such as the speed withwhich mud separates from and falls off the shaker screen or downstreamedge of the shaker.

Based on the data received by the camera and the determination of one ormore states, such as drilling mud viscosity, the types and/or volumes ofcuttings, the size of the cuttings, and the like, the computer systemcan be programmed to determine if one or more corrective actions shouldbe taken and, if so, send one or more control signals to add moredrilling mud, increase flow rate, decrease flow rate, add more or stopadding drilling mud additives, adjust one or more shakers or theiroperation, or take other corrective action. In addition, the informationobtained from monitoring the mud system while drilling can be used tomonitor and adjust for any potential problems with hole cleaning, suchas by providing such information from the computer vision drillingsystem to a system such as described and shown in U.S., published patentapplication No. 2019/0309614 A1, published on Oct. 10, 2019, entitled“System and Method for Well Drilling Control Based on BoreholeCleaning,” which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully setforth herein.

In some embodiments, one or more cameras in accordance with the presentdisclosure can be used to observe the interaction of drilling personneland/or drilling equipment. For example, object detection techniques canbe used to identify relevant locations on the drilling rig, such as thelocation of hazardous equipment, operator stations and/or the locationof human operators. In some embodiments, the locations of certainimmobile (relative to the rig) equipment can be manually encoded in suchembodiments. By comparing those locations, various safety andperformance criteria of the drilling rig can be monitored. For example,a camera can observe the drilling rig operator to determine whether heis present at his station. In some embodiments, the absence of a drillercan generate an alert or alarm, or can cause moving equipment to shutoff. In some embodiments, the camera can observe drilling personnel,such as the drilling rig operator, and identify signs of fatigue orinattention, and trigger an alert or warning to prevent dangerousoperation of the drilling rig. In some embodiments, if personnel arelocated in an unsafe proximity to hazardous drilling equipment, an alarmcan be sounded, or the equipment can be automatically shut down. In someembodiments, such alerting functionality can be enabled or disabled as afunction of the operation of the equipment. For example, when theequipment is not operating or is otherwise in a safe state or mode, noproximity alerts would be generated.

Similarly, in some embodiments, one or more infrared cameras can be usedto detect whether drilling personnel are performing their jobs safelyand/or efficiently. For example, an infrared camera can monitor the bodytemperature of one or more drilling workers by observing their facialtemperature. In hot weather operations, the system could trigger analarm or an alert if it observes a drilling employee with an elevatedbody temperature, indicating illness, or a potential heat-related event(e.g., heat stroke). Likewise, one or more infrared cameras could beused to detect whether drilling personnel are utilizing proper personalprotective equipment (PPE). For example, if the system detects heatsignatures that appear to be an uncovered head, caused by a missinghardhat, or uncovered hands, indicating missing safety gloves, an alertor alarm can be triggered. Thermal imaging computer vision systems canalso be used to detect “hot spots” on personnel that indicate bleedingand automatically generate appropriate alerts. In addition to the use ofthermal imaging for such health and safety concerns, the camera systemcan be used to detect conditions suggesting a state of distress ofpersonnel on the rig. For example, if a person is curled into a fetalposition instead of standing, that may indicate distress. If a person ismissing a limb or a portion of a limb, that may indicate that the personhas suffered a dangerous injury (e.g., amputation) and is at risk ofbleeding out if medical attention is not immediately provided.Similarly, different postures may indicate distress, such as aslumped-over position, a prone position, and so forth. In someembodiments, the computer vision system can be programmed so that, whenthe state of a person on or around the drilling rig site is detected anddetermined to be a state of distress, an appropriate response can bedetermined and automatically taken. Such a response may be an alert orwarning, may require the shutdown of some or all drilling rig equipment,a change in one or more drilling parameters, and may involve summoningimmediate medical attention, such as sending an alert to onsite medicalpersonnel or others on site and/or automatically sending an emergencymessage to medical personnel, such as EMS, a hospital, a doctor, or thelike.

In some embodiments, similar techniques can be employed to monitor theoperating state and/or health of drilling rig equipment. For example,operating temperature can indicate whether a piece of equipment isrunning. Excessive or inadequate operating temperature can furtherindicate whether there is a problem with the piece of equipment, such asa mechanical failure or impending mechanical failure, or whetheroperating commands are not being received by the equipment from therelevant control panel/system.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure can be used to observedrilling personnel on or near the drilling rig or ancillary equipment toensure safe operation of equipment. For example, the drilling rig mayhave a pair of slips shaped like wedges that fit around the pipe to holdit in place. Pulling the slips out of drilling floor is typically atwo-person operation, but occasionally can be attempted by a singleperson. A camera system in accordance with the present disclosure canidentify and track the number of people in proximity to the slips, andeither prevent or warn operators when only a single person is detectedattempting to pull up the slips. For example, the system could have theability to lock the slips in place, which would not disengage unless twopeople were observed near the slips. Alternatively, a single personcould be observed attempting to pull the slips, and an alarm or alertcould sound, warning of the dangerous operation. The example of pullingslips is only one example of a dangerous operation that may be performedby personnel. Computer vision systems in accordance with the presentdisclosure can be used to similarly detect or correct dangerousoperations, either due to an incorrect ordering of operations (e.g.,attempting to unscrew a drill pipe while under pressure), improperstaffing (e.g., one person pulling up the slips), or use of the wrongequipment or tool in order to perform an operation. The computer visionsystem can also be used to monitor the volume(s) of one or more mudpits, waste pits, pools, etc., and to make sure that they do not fallbelow or exceed preset thresholds and, if they do, to provide an alert,alarm, or other corrective action. Similarly, the computer vision systemcan be programmed to monitor and detect off-gassing or other conditions,such as the freezing of mud pumps or other equipment on the surface ofmotors, mechanical systems, etc. and determine if such conditions areacceptable or not, then send one or more control systems toautomatically correct any unacceptable conditions or to provide one ormore alerts or alarms if such actions are acceptable to take for thedetected conditions.

The data received by processing system 110 from the one or more cameras(not shown) can be analyzed and used, such as by processing system 110,to provide an alert, alarm, or to stop or alter one or more drillingparameters, including ceasing operation of given equipment or stoppingdrilling operations. In addition, the data received by the computersystem can include data from the one or more cameras and from one ormore sensors, including downhole sensors, surface sensors, or both. Thecomputer system can be programmed so that the data received by thecomputer system is analyzed to determine a current state of one or moreparameters, compared against one or more threshold limits or determinedto be within one or more tolerance limits, and then to generate one ormore appropriate signals to provide one or more of an appropriatedisplay, alert, alarm, slow down of drilling, or cessation of one ormore drilling activities. In addition, the data received by a computersystem can be used to monitor one or more drilling parameters (such asmeasured depth as noted above), which can then be used to controldrilling operations, such as for determining whether and when to begin aslide drilling operation or to continue rotary drilling, for updating awell plan, for increasing or decreasing rate of penetration, weight onbit, or otherwise altering one or more drilling parameters, and thelike.

FIG. 12 is an example of a flow chart of a method 1200 for oilfielddrilling operations using computer vision that may be implemented byprocessing system 1100, in accordance with the present disclosure. It isnoted that certain operations in method 1200 may be omitted orrearranged in different embodiments.

Method 1200 may begin at step 1210 by obtaining various data from anumber of sources, including video camera data 1202 from one or morecameras like those described herein, well plan historical data 1204,surface sensor data 1206, and downhole sensor data 1208. In operation ofmethod 1200, data may be obtained at step 1210 without delay whileborehole 108 is being drilled. At step 1212, a rig state of drilling rigoperations may be determined. At step 1214, the rig state may becompared to a threshold to determine whether the data obtained in step1210 is consistent with expected operational data, such as by comparingthe data obtained in step 1210 to one or more preset thresholds orlimits. At step 1216, a determination may be made whether the drillingrig operations are within acceptable limits. When the result of step1216 is YES, and the drilling rig operations are within acceptablelimits, processing system 1100 may loop back to step 1210 and continuemonitoring the drilling rig operations. When the result of step 1216 isNO, and the drilling rig operations are not within acceptable limits, atstep 1218, processing system 1100 may determine a corrective action totake. It is noted that processing system 1100 may also determine that nocorrective action is indicated at step 1218. At step 1220, processingsystem 1100 may cause the corrective action to be implemented. It isnoted that at step 1220, the corrective action may be automaticallyperformed, such as by sending an alert, sounding or providing an audioand/or visual alarm, and/or by slowing or stopping one or more drillingoperations or all drilling operations entirely.

In some embodiments, a map of the drilling rig (or drilling site) may begenerated and displayed and the computer vision system may be programmedto generate and display a spatial map that includes a display of eachperson on the rig (or site), and, if a person is determined to be in anunsafe location or subject to a condition indicated distress,automatically changing the display to provide a visual alert, whereinthe visual alert comprises at least one of changing the color of theperson on the display, changing the size of the person on the display,changing the size of the location of the person on the display,providing a flashing light on the display, providing a flashingrepresentation of the person on the display, and adding a warningmessage on the display, and such visual alert(s) may be provided inaddition to or in lieu of other corrective actions as described herein.For example, such corrective actions may also include an audible alertin the drilling rig area, a visual alert in the drilling rig area, anelectronic message sent to the person, a change in the display of themap, an increase in the speed of the one or more drilling operations, adecrease in the speed of the one or more drilling operations, and acessation of the one or more drilling operations. The corrective actionalso may involve summoning medical assistance when needed.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of a computer vision drilling system 1300. System1300 can be generally very similar to the drilling system 100 shown inFIG. 1, and for convenience like numbered items in FIG. 13 refer to thesame items as shown in FIG. 1 and described above. FIG. 13 differs,however, in that the system 1300 shown in FIG. 13 includes severalcameras 1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, 1330, 1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355.As indicated in FIG. 13, each of cameras 1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, 1330,1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355 are located at various locationsaround, on or proximal the system 1300. The cameras 1310, 1315, 1320,1325, 1330, 1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355 can be the same type ofcamera or may be different types. For example, one or all of the camerasmay be two-dimensional cameras; alternatively, one or all of the camerasmay be three-dimensional cameras. In addition, any one or more ofcameras 1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, 1330, 1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355may be movably mounted or may be mounted or attached in a stationaryposition. The field of view of two or more of the cameras 1310, 1315,1320, 1325, 1330, 1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355 may overlap with eachother, or may include completely separate and distinct areas of thesystem 1300. The location and orientation of each of the cameras 1310,1315, 1320, 1325, 1330, 1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355 may be selectedso that the combined field of view of the images from the camerasdefines a drilling rig area as desired. The drilling rig area mayinclude only certain portions of the drilling rig or, if desired, mayinclude the entire drilling rig and the drill site, such as may beuseful for security purposes in addition to safety and health purposes.

In some embodiments, the cameras 1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, 1330, 1335,1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355 are movably mounted and are connected to anetwork, so that the images captured by each of cameras 1310, 1315,1320, 1325, 1330, 1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355 can be viewed in alocation physically remote from the location of system 1300, such as acentral command 414 as shown in FIG. 4, in real time while the borehole106 is being drilled. In addition, a user may provide input to thenetwork from a location physically remote from the system 1300 to moveone or more of the cameras 1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, 1330, 1335, 1340,1345, 1350, and 1355 during drilling of the borehole 106.

Although FIG. 13 illustrates ten cameras 1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, 1330,1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355, it should be noted that less or morecameras may be included in system 1300. In addition, although FIG. 13illustrates cameras located on or proximal to the derrick 132, thecameras may be located on any one or more of various pieces ofequipment, including traveling block 136, top drive 140, drill string146, mud pump 152, mud pit 154, and any of the other items illustratedand described above.

Still referring to FIG. 13, camera 1310 is shown as positioned proximalthe top of the derrick 132. However, it should be understood that, ifdesired, two or more cameras could be positioned at numerous positionsup the derrick 132 from the rig floor, such as cameras 1310, 1315, 1340,1345, 1350, and 1355. Although shown as essentially pairs of cameras1310 and 1315, 1340 and 1345, and 1350 and 1355, it is to be understoodthat the cameras 1310, 1315, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1350 can be locatedopposite one another or offset one another as may be desired to obtainoverlapping fields of vision and/or to obtain coverage of the field ofvision over the entire derrick 132. Doing so should provide images withsufficient resolution for the pipe tally and analysis as describedabove, as well as for the bottom hole assembly (BHA) analysis asdescribed above. Such cameras or arrays of cameras can be placed atnumerous locations around the drilling rig and the drilling site. Inaddition, one or more cameras may be positioned to provide a birds' eyeview above the derrick and positioned to provide a rig floor level view.Doing so should provide images that are sufficient for us to detect,locate, and track the movements of individuals and/or equipment withinthe drilling rig area (or the drilling site) for detecting unsafeconditions, such as proximity to moving rig components, excessiveexposure to extreme weather conditions, anomalous drilling conditions,and the like, and, when such a condition is detected, to determine oneor more appropriate corrective actions that can be taken to avoidinjury, such as visual and/or audible alerts on the drilling rig,slowing down or speeding up the operation of one or more pieces ofequipment (such as to avoid colliding with the person), and stopping oneor more drilling operations entirely. Examples of other locations forcameras can include the pipe storage, drilling site generally, and at oraround various drilling equipment components. It is expected that itwill generally be desirable to provide a plurality of cameras at aplurality of locations, with the cameras and their location andorientation selected to provide overlapping perspectives on at least aplurality of locations within the drilling rig area.

It is also to be understood that cameras 1310, 1320, and 1330 may beselected and positioned in the system 1300 so that they allow thegeneration of a three dimensional model of the drilling rig area in realtime during the drilling of the well, so that the 3D model can be viewedremotely from the drilling site in a virtual reality mode. For example,multiple cameras can be mounted in each of a plurality of cameramodules, with the different cameras within each camera module beingfocused at different widths of image capture. Doing so should allow thecapture of multiple images that can be analyzed by the system 1300 togenerate stereo imagery. In addition, the different cameras within eachcamera module can also provide a wide angle view or can provide opticalzoom flexibility.

In some embodiments, the one or more of the cameras in the camera modulecan be controlled remotely by an operator, such as the remote control ofthe orientation of the cameras 1310, 1320, and 1330 as described above.An operator at a remote location from the drilling site or at thedrilling site can control the field of view of multiple cameras bycontrolling their orientation (e.g., providing a command to the computervision system from the remote location to direct one or more cameras topan in one or more directions), and can also control the view or viewsprovided by selecting the one or more cameras within each camera modulefor viewing. Moreover, the computer vision drilling system may beprogrammed to allow an operator at the drilling site or at a remotelocation to control the zooming in or out of one or more of the cameras1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, 1330, 1335, 1340, 1345, 1350, and 1355. Forexample, in some cases it may be desirable to zoom in on one or morepieces or equipment or features of the equipment (such as to providemore accurate measurements of the features of the equipment or to bettersee a feature like any of those described herein), while in othersituations it may be desirable to zoom out and provide a wide angle viewfrom one or more cameras 1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, 1330, 1335, 1340, 1345,1350, and 1355. Such zooming or panning may be controlled by an operatoror may be done automatically by the computer vision drilling system.

In some embodiments, such as where data transmission rates to and from adrilling rig site are lower than may be desired, it may be possible totemporarily store at the drilling rig site a plurality of still imagescaptured by the cameras such as a plurality of cameras 1310, 1320, and1330 at or near the same time. The plurality of still images can then beprocessed locally at the drilling rig site by the system 1300 togenerate a navigable 3D model, such as for VR viewing, and thentransmitting the 3D model to a remote location when the datatransmission rates are better. Alternatively, the still images can betransmitted to a remote location where they can be processed to generatea 3D model of the drilling rig area for viewing in VR. In the 3D modelfor viewing in VR (or in any display generated by the system 1300), thedesign files for the drilling rig (e.g., CAD or similar data files) canbe used by the system 1300 or the remote system or both (whichever isgenerating the model) to generate the 3D model superimposing the imageson the rig displayed from the design files. The 3D model provided for VRviewing at a remote location can be advantageous for a variety ofreasons. Among other things, this allows an operator in the remotelocation (such one or more command centers) to essentially walk around arig floor and inspect the drilling rig for safety concerns, maintenanceissues, and the like by VR viewing, even if the drilling rig site isphysically located in West Texas, North Dakota, or elsewhere in theworld, including before, during, or after a well is being drilled. Insome embodiments, the camera system can be used to provide virtualperspectives, for example, by creating a synthetic camera view from aposition without a camera by combining or synthesizing image data fromone or more cameras.

In some embodiments, the 3D model (or a two dimensional display) can bestored automatically by storing multiple images during the drilling ofwell, such as at predetermined time intervals, predetermined drillingevents, or when an operator determines that an image or images should bestored and provides an input to the system to do so. In addition, thetime intervals between images stored may vary during drilling, with sometime intervals shorter for certain drilling operations or events thanothers.

In some embodiments, the computer vision system may include instructionsfor determining a confidence value associated with the determinationmade by the system. For example, the computer vision system may beprogrammed to generate and provide or display a confidence value that aperson on the rig and the one or more drilling rig components willoccupy the same space within a time period (thus indicating a collisionis expected). The confidence value may be determined responsive to theconsistency of the computer vision results over a series of timeintervals (e.g., does the system detect a person in the same place overa series of seconds, minutes, or other time periods, and is thatperson's location consistent with location determinations over theseries of seconds, minutes, or other time periods). The confidence valuemay also be determined responsive to the consistency of the elementsdetermined by the system over a series of observations, as well as theaccuracy and/or resolution of the images obtained by the system. Inaddition to or in lieu of any of the foregoing, the confidence value maybe determined by comparing a determined result of the computer systemwith one or more results stored in a database and determining the extentto which the determined result matches (or does not match) with one ormore results in the database. For example, a determined result that aperson on the rig is in an unsafe location may have a low confidencevalue if the determined results one or two seconds earlier and one ortwo seconds later do not indicate a person in the same location on therig. The confidence value may be used by the system, such as to delaytaking immediate corrective action that might otherwise be indicated ifthe confidence value is low and falls below a threshold therefor.Conversely, if the confidence value is high and the determined result isa dangerous condition or medical emergency, the system can be programmedto take immediate corrective action.

The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments which fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to the maximumextent allowed by law, the scope of the present disclosure is to bedetermined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the followingclaims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited bythe foregoing detailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer vision system for a drilling rig, thecomputer vision system comprising: a processor adapted to receive imageinformation from one or more cameras, wherein each of the one or morecameras is trained on one or more locations of a drilling rig orequipment associated with the drilling rig, thereby defining a drillingrig area and is adapted to provide image information associated with thedrilling rig area during drilling operations; a memory coupled to theprocessor, wherein the memory comprises instructions executable by theprocessor to: determine, responsive to the image information, whether apredetermined safety condition exists; determine a corrective actionresponsive to the determination of the existence of the predeterminedsafety condition; and generate one or more control signals to implementthe corrective action, wherein the predetermined safety conditioncomprises at least one of a predicted collision between one or morepersons and a first piece of equipment in the drilling rig area, apredicted collision between the first piece of equipment and a secondpiece of equipment or between the second piece of equipment and a thirdpiece of equipment in the drilling rig area, a location of the first,second, or third piece of equipment, and a speed of movement of thefirst, second, or third piece of equipment or a fourth piece ofequipment in the drilling rig area that falls below a thresholdtherefor, exceeds a threshold therefor, or falls outside a target rangetherefor, wherein the instructions further comprise instructionsexecutable by the processor to: receive weather information; detect alocation of one or more persons within the drilling rig area; track theone or more persons' location within the drilling rig area; anddetermine, responsive to the weather information and the tracking of theone or more persons' location within the drilling rig area for apredetermined time period, if the predetermined safety condition exists.2. The computer vision system of claim 1, wherein the predeterminedsafety condition comprises at least one of heat exhaustion, heat stroke,frostbite, hypothermia, fatigue, over-exertion, loss of a limb, limping,a prone position, a fetal position, bleeding, vomiting, and a hunchedposition.
 3. The computer vision system of claim 1, wherein theinstructions further comprise instructions executable by the processorto repeat steps a plurality of times during drilling of a well by thedrilling rig.
 4. The computer vision system of claim 3, wherein theinstructions further comprise instructions executable by the processorto receive historical information associated with one or morepredetermined conditions occurring during drilling of a previous well ora previously drilled portion of the well being drilled by the drillingrig.
 5. The computer vision system of claim 1, wherein the correctiveaction comprises at least one of an audible alert in the drilling rigarea, a visual alert in the drilling rig area, an electronic messagesent to the one or more persons, a change in a display of a map, anincrease in the speed of the one or more drilling operations, a decreasein the speed of the one or more drilling operations, and a cessation ofthe one or more drilling operations.
 6. The computer vision system ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more cameras comprises athree-dimensional camera.
 7. The computer vision system of claim 1,wherein the system is adapted to sense a temperature of at least aportion of the one or more persons.
 8. The computer vision system ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more cameras comprises aninfrared camera.
 9. A computer vision system for drilling operations,the system comprising: a plurality of cameras at a plurality oflocations on a drilling site, wherein the cameras provide a field ofview of the drilling site which comprises a drilling rig and associatedequipment, and wherein the plurality of cameras are configured to obtaina plurality of images during drilling of a well borehole by the drillingrig; a computer vision processor, wherein the computer vision processoris at a location physically remote from the drilling site, and whereinthe computer vision processor is adapted to: process the plurality ofimages from the plurality of cameras and track a location of a person onthe drilling site; receive weather information; and determine,responsive to the weather information and the tracking of the person'slocation within the drilling site for a predetermined time, if apredetermined safety condition exists; and generate an alert responsiveto determining an existence of the predetermined safety condition in thefield of view of the drilling site, wherein generating the alertcomprises changing the image of the drilling site to provide a visualalert, and wherein providing the visual alert comprises at least one ofchanging a color of a person on the image of the drilling site, changinga size of the person on the image of the drilling site, changing a sizeof the location of the person on the image of the drilling site,providing a flashing light on the image of the drilling site, providinga flashing representation of the person on the image of the drillingsite, and adding a warning message on the image of the drilling site.10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer vision processor isfurther configured to: receive information associated with the locationand orientation of each of the plurality of cameras; determine,responsive to the information associated with the location andorientation of each of the plurality of cameras, the person's locationwithin the drilling site; and display the person's location relative toone or more components of the drilling rig in the image of the drillingsite.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer vision processoris further adapted to change the image of the drilling site in responseto a user input, change the image of the drilling site to provide avisual alert of the predetermined safety condition, or change the imageof the drilling site to provide a visual alert of a resolution of thepredetermined safety condition.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein thecomputer vision processor is further adapted to track, responsive to thetracking of the person, movement of one or more components of thedrilling rig and determine whether the one or more components of thedrilling rig may collide with the person.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the computer vision processor is further adapted to project themovement of the person responsive to the tracking of the movement of theperson, project the movement of the one or more components responsive tothe tracking of the one or more components, and determine whether theprojected movement of the person and the projected movement of the oneor more components will result in the person and the one or morecomponents occupying the same space.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereinthe computer vision processor is further adapted to determine aconfidence value associated with the determination that the person andthe one or more components will occupy the same space, wherein theconfidence value is responsive to at least one of consistency betweentime elements, accuracy, resolution, and whether the one or morecomponents match with a database of patterns.
 15. The computer visionsystem of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of camerascomprises a three-dimensional camera.
 16. The computer vision system ofclaim 9, wherein the system is adapted to sense a temperature of atleast a portion of the person.
 17. The computer vision system of claim9, wherein at least one of the one or more cameras comprises an infraredcamera.
 18. A computer vision system for a drilling rig, the computervision system comprising: a processor adapted to receive imageinformation from one or more cameras, wherein each of the one or morecameras is trained on one or more locations of a drilling rig orequipment associated with the drilling rig, thereby defining a drillingrig area, and is adapted to provide image information associated withthe drilling rig area during drilling operations; a memory coupled tothe processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions executable bythe processor to: receive weather information; detect, responsive to theimage information, a person's location within the drilling rig area;track the person's location within the drilling rig area; determine,responsive to the image information, the weather information, and thetracking of the person's location within the drilling rig area for apredetermined time period, if a predetermined safety condition exists;determine a corrective action responsive to the determination of theexistence of the predetermined safety condition; and generate one ormore control signals to implement the corrective action.
 19. Thecomputer vision system of claim 18, wherein the predetermined safetycondition comprises at least one of heat exhaustion, heat stroke,frostbite, hypothermia, fatigue, over-exertion, loss of a limb, limping,a prone position, a fetal position, bleeding, vomiting, and a hunchedposition.
 20. The computer vision system of claim 18, wherein thecorrective action comprises at least one of an audible alert in thedrilling rig area, a visual alert in the drilling rig area, anelectronic message sent to the person, a change in a display of a map,an increase in a speed of the one or more drilling operations, adecrease in the speed of the one or more drilling operations, and acessation of the one or more drilling operations.
 21. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the predetermined safety condition comprises at leastone of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, frostbite, hypothermia, fatigue,over-exertion, loss of a limb, limping, a prone position, a fetalposition, bleeding, vomiting, and a hunched position.